Going into this 2020 NBA Draft, Texas has no players in the mix. All of their production form the 2019 season will be returning and five-star forward Greg Brown will be a major edition for Shaka Smart.
Flash forward to a year from now, a Brown will be pushing to become a lottery pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. A 6-6 forward, Brown is was the No. 9 player coming out of high school and the top player in the state of Texas.
RookieWire recently updated their NBA Draft Big Board for the 2021 class, with Brown coming in at No. 25. He would be Texas’ fifth drafted player in the last six years.
Here is what RookieWire said about the incoming freshman:
Greg Brown averaged 18.6 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists with 1.5 steals per game on the AAU circuit in 2019 for the Texas Titans. Brown also had the second-best player efficiency rating (36.0) among all participants in the 17U adidas Gold Gauntlet in 2018-19. He is a highlight-reel dunker, too, which can help his fame among more casual fans when he throws down on bigger stages.
Once Brown gets his one season in Austin, he will ascend up the big board. His athleticism alone will be too good to pass up. Smart will get time to work on his offensive and defensive game, potentially making him a top player in the draft.
Atop the board is Oklahoma State point guard Cade Cunningham. Despite the Cowboys not being able to participate in the 2021 NCAA Tournament, Cunningham decided to stick true to his commitment. Mike Boynton’s team will be a problem in the Big 12, even if they cannot participate past the regular season.
Three conference players are also ahead of Brown, including Jared Butler of Baylor, Miles McBride of West Virginia, and Oscar Tshiebwe of West Virginia.
[lawrence-auto-related count=3]