Louisville freshman guard Mikel Brown Jr. confirmed he will enter the 2026 NBA draft, telling Marc J. Spears of Andscape about his decision.
The 20-year-old, projected as a lottery selection, averaged 18.2 points, 4.7 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 1.2 steals in 29.2 minutes across 21 games (19 starts) during the 2025-26 season. The 6’5″ scorer posted shooting splits of .410 from the field, .344 from three and .844 at the foul line.
Brown missed Louisville’s final games after Feb. 28 because of a back strain that sidelined him for the ACC and NCAA tournaments. “I’m not trained to go half speed,” he told Spears, explaining that playing while hurt was no longer feasible.
The guard said his back is improving and he expects to participate in pre-draft workouts this spring and play in July’s Summer League.
Despite the injury, analysts still project Brown inside the top 10. ESPN’s Jeremy Woo lists him ninth on his big board, while Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman places him eighth in a recent mock draft. Wasserman compared Brown’s offensive profile to Tyler Herro, noting both his shot-making ability and questions about playmaking consistency.
Source: Hoops Rumors
