Today at the 2016 NBA Draft Combine, California swingman Jaylen Brown spoke to SiriusXM NBA Radio about what his role in the NBA will be:
"Want to be a lock-down defender…My calling is on defense" California G Jaylen Brown on what he wants to bring to the NBA.
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) May 10, 2016
Brown is being realistic: He projects to be a terrific defender at the next level. Brown is an awesome prospect. At 6’7″ and 222 pounds with a seven-foot wingspan, he already has an NBA body. He’s fast, strong, and athletic. He should be an elite defensive stopper as early as his rookie year. Similarly to fellow top prospect Ben Simmons, he has tremendous talent and potential, but needs to polish his offensive game. The jumper will need work for Brown: He shot 29.4% three-point shooting on three attempts per game his freshman year at Cal.
Brown’s fellow Cal freshman Ivan Rabb has opted to stay in school for another year, but Brown declared for the draft. In his first year at Cal, Brown averaged 14.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 0.8 steals per game, while shooting 43.1% from the field. Those are solid numbers, though they won’t blow your mind. Brown’s more of a long-term project though(due to offensive struggles already mentioned), and his draft stock should be measured by much more than his freshman stats.
Brown is currently projected to be taken fifth overall in this year’s draft per DraftExpress, but he could easily go as early as third.
Brown will likely be taken somewhere from 3-7. Those teams, in order from highest to lowest projected draft pick: Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns, Minnesota Timberwolves, New Orleans pelicans, Denver Nuggets. If Brown were to fall any further than Denver at seven, that would be shocking, and a huge steal for whichever team he fell to.
