Louisville basketball fans recently saw their 5-star freshman officially declare for the 2026 NBA Draft. Mikel Brown Jr. committed to Louisville, ranked unanimously in the top 10 and as a 5-star recruit in the 2025 recruiting class, and now, after one season with the Cardinals, he will look to make his NBA dreams come true.
Who's coming and who's going: Louisville basketball 2026 Transfer Portal tracker
Brown has been viewed as a consensus top 10 draft choice, as he is expected to be picked anywhere from No. 6 to No. 10. The consensus thought is that BYU's AJ Dybantsa, Kansas' Darryn Peterson, and Duke’s Cameron Boozer will be the first three off the board, and then followed by UNC’s Caleb Wilson.
After those four, it is four point guards who are battling it out. Pick Nos. 5-8 will likely consist of the Sacramento Kings, Memphis Grizzlies, Atlanta Hawks, and Dallas Mavericks. When looking at this group, two teams immediatley jump out, and in ESPN’s latest mock draft, we believe he is projected to go to the best possible team.
New NBA Mock Draft drops Louisville’s Mikel Brown Jr. into perfect situation
Of those four teams, ESPN has Brown projected to go No. 8 overall, to the Dallas Mavericks, pairing him up with Cooper Flagg. This gives the Mavs an incredibly bright future, as Flagg just won the Kia Rookie of the Year after averaging 21.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 4.5 assists while shooting 46.8 percent from the field.
"Brown's back injury made it difficult for him to boost his stock in-season, making the predraft process critical to show teams he is healthy and remind them of his significant offensive talent. His positional size, shooting ability and playmaking skill should stand out in workout settings, but he needs a positive spring to work his way further up the board in a guard-heavy lottery, with Acuff, Wagler and Flemings all having outstanding seasons. There are still scouts who view Brown's upside as the highest of the group, but it might take some work for him to leap ahead of the other top guards.
The Mavericks have a long-term need at the point and will be hoping to find a running mate for Cooper Flagg, as they won't control their own first again until 2031. Brown would be the biggest upside swing left on the board if available here, but also comes with a little more risk in his profile than some alternatives."
However, it not only sets the Mavs' future up, but it also gives Brown a chance to learn and grow under one of the best point guards in NBA history, Kyrie Irving. As of right now, Irving is still on the Mavs, and assuming he returns and is in Dallas next season, Brown’s mentor would be the 9-time NBA All-Star, 3-time All-NBA, 2016 NBA champ, and future NBA Hall of Famer.
This would be a great fit for Brown as far as the former Cardinal would make an immediate impact and would be a key piece for the Mavs, but also his mentor would be Irving, who is undeniably one of the best guards to ever play the game of basketball.
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