NBA executives hint Mikel Brown Jr. might snap a 37-year Louisville drought

The NBA Draft is set to take place Tuesday, June 23, and Louisville basketball fans are getting ready to tune in. Cardinals fans have a few players they are keeping an eye on, such as Mikel Brown Jr., Ryan Conwell, and Isaac McKneely, who are all looking to make their NBA dreams come true.

ESPN analyst reveals Louisville's Mikel Brown Jr. gaining serious momentum ahead of NBA Draft

Brown and Conwell are the two stars who are likely to get drafted, and while McKneely is most likely to go undrafted, Louisville fans and he are hoping he is signed to an NBA Summer League team and, hopefully, an NBA G-League team following that. As for Brown, he is the star of the three as the former 5-star is trending to go in the first round.

Brown has been trending around the No. 7 or No. 8 pick, but the Field of 68's Jeff Goodman recently took a survey with NBA executives, and the Cardinals' 5-star got huge praise just hours before the NBA Draft.

NBA executives hint Mikel Brown Jr. might be first PG drafted

Many NBA draft scouts and reporters are projecting Brown to go in the No. 7 or No. 8 pick, but Goodman's survey might hint otherwise. Goodman asked 10 NBA executives to rank five guards, including Mikel Brown Jr., and the Cardinals star guard received the most first-place votes.

When looking at the NBA Draft, the top four picks order isn't locked yet, but who will be selected is most likely a lock. BYU’s AJ Dybantsa, Duke’s Cameron Boozer, Kansas’ Darryn Peterson, and North Carolina’s Caleb Wilson are almost guaranteed to be the first four picks, and then the next six are where it gets interesting.

Of the next six picks, it is trending that five guards will be selected, including four point guards, including Brown. And while many have Brown as the No. 7 or No. 8 pick, Goodman's survey could hint at a possible jump from the Cards guard.

If Brown does go first in this group, that would likely mean he is the No. 5 overall pick in the NBA Draft, and that would snap a whopping 37-year drought for the Cardinals. The 6-foot-5, 190-pound guard from Orlando would be the first Louisville Cardinal selected in the top five of the NBA Draft since Pervis Ellison was selected No. 1 overall by the Sacramento Kings in the 1989 draft.

As of now, if no trades were to happen, that would mean Brown would go to the Los Angeles Clippers, potentially pairing him up with Kawhi Leonard and company. Brown has an extremely high ceiling, and his name has been rising a lot since the NBA Draft Combine.

His ability to shoot well beyond the arc and his crazy explosiveness are catching many draft scouts' eyes, and apparently NBA executives as well. It would be a bit surprising if Brown is taken first among point guards, but as we are under 48 hours until the first pick, Brown continues to gain momentum, and Goodman's survey hints he might end this Louisville draft drought.

Also read: Louisville's Mikel Brown Jr. receives eye-opening NBA comparison as draft approaches

For all the latest news and updates on Louisville basketball's offseason and recruiting, stay tuned.

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