Mikel Brown Jr. reveals one key skill he learned from Chucky Hepburn at Louisville

Louisville basketball is off to a red-hot start this season, and a lot of that has to do with Mikel Brown Jr. The historic commitment for Pat Kelsey is averaging 19.3 points per game, while shooting 50 percent from the field and 36 percent from beyond the arc. He had a dominant performance against Kentucky, where he scored 29 points, and followed it up with 19 points and seven assists in the Cardinals' win over Ohio.

After Louisville's win over Ohio, Brown Jr. talked with Andy Katz on his show "The Sideline with Andy Katz". When the Cardinals' superstar was breaking down the Kentucky and Ohio game, Katz brought up former Louisville star Chucky Hepburn, and Brown Jr. went on to reveal one crucial skill he took from Hepburn's massive 2024-25 season with Louisville.

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Mikel Brown Jr. breaks down what he learned from Chucky Hepburn

Brown Jr. has dominated offensively for the Cardinals, but it is his defense that hasn't received much attention. The 6-foot-5 guard is a pesky defender who plays up tight on his opponents and can force turnovers with his physicality. He has the intelligence and anticipation to cut lanes and deflect the ball, and with his growth spurt and muscle added this offseason, Louisville fans are seeing him guarding up close and bumping players as they drive through the lane.

The 5-star might be known for his offense, but he revealed to Katz that, when Hepburn was in town, he wanted to improve his defense and didn't shy away from asking the former ACC Defensive Player of the Year how he could improve his game on the defensive side.

"He made a lot of really, really great plays, and also on the defensive end, he was a hound on the defensive end, especially on the ball." Brown Jr. on what he learned from Hepburn's season with the Cardinals. "When he was here, I was asking him a lot of questions about how to guard people, how to get steals here and there, and how to be instinctive. He is very instinctive, and I think watching his tape on how he guarded kind of helped me, especially on the ball and especially off the ball. He is very sneaky on how he gets his steals. Obviously, he was the ACC Defensive Player of the Year, so to be able to learn from the time he was here was great."

Hepburn was a key reason Louisville exceeded all expectations last year, and his defense really stood out. He transferred to Louisville from Wisconsin and saw his best season by far. He averaged 16.4 points, 5.8 assists, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.4 steals per game while shooting 43.2 percent from the field and 32.8 percent from beyond the arc.

All of those stats listed above were career highs for Hepburn, and with Brown Jr. now taking over this program, the 5-star has the offensive skills and has now revealed he wants to improve his defensive skills to be that dominant two-way player Hepburn was.

Brown Jr. has impressed many on the defensive side so far, holding his ground and being active defensively every game. He stated that Hepburn was instinctive, and in four games, Brown Jr. has shown similar traits, earning a steal in three of them. He is involved in every play, and with his quick feet and his length, it is hard for someone to shoot over him or to blow by him.

Hepburn went on to win Defensive Player of the Year, and while Brown Jr. has a long way to go to reach that level, he has shown significant improvement on defense through four games. The Cardinals' 5-star phenom is a projected top-10 pick right now, and if he can continue to improve his defensive skills and bring that aggressiveness and awareness like Hepburn, he has the potential to be a top-five pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.