Prospect Profile: Jaylen Brown

College Career15-16 (FR): 34 G / 27.6 M / 14.6 PPG / 43.1 FG% / 30 3FGM / 29.4 3FG% / 65.4 FT% / 5.4 RPG / 2.0 APGThree small numbers – “1,” “3,” and “4” – were prominently associated with Jaylen Brown this time a year ago, as he looked ahead to what would be his first and only collegiate season.  The significance of those tiny numerals, however, were big.   Each one represented Brown’s national ranking – from Scout.com, Rivals, and ESPN, respectively – coming out of Wheeler High School in suburban Atlanta.All things considered, Brown enjoyed a solid campaign at the University of California – Berkeley.  Appearing in all 34 of the Golden Bears’ games, he ranked second on the team in scoring, third in three-point field goals made, second in rebounding, and third in assists.  Brown’s contributions were vital to Cal’s collective success.  The school finished 2016 23rd in the Associated Press top 25 poll after clinching an NCAA Tournament berth for the first time in three years. One of the first high-profile recruits landed by Cal head coach Cuonzo Martin, Brown received multiple honors for his stellar freshman efforts.  He was tabbed a Freshman All-American, earned All-Pac 12 First-Team honors, and was voted the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year.  Only seven players in Cal men’s basketball history had previously earned the award.  Reviewing the arc of Brown’s rookie season, the 6’7″ tall, 225 pound forward got off to a strong start, delivering two of his four double-doubles in the span of Cal’s first four contests.  Brown’s offensive production reached its peak in early January, when he dropped 20 points in back-to-back outings at Oregon and Oregon State.  Those performances kickstarted a six-game stretch during which Brown averaged 19.0 points, shot 48.9 percent from the field, and got to the free throw line 75 times.  Over the Bears’ final five tilts, which included a pair of Pac-12 Tournament games and an NCAA Tournament loss, Brown’s output tailed off.  He accounted for only 7.8 points, while hitting just 10 of his 48 attempts from the floor.   The defensive side of the court was where Brown was arguably most steady.  According to basketball-reference.com, he manufactured the seventh-best defensive rating in the Pac-12.  Brown limited opponents to a 34.7 field goal percentage as well.  Back in May, at the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago, Brown was projected as a top-three selection.  At that point in time, he was hoping that by June 23rd, he would have done enough to prove himself worthy of the number one overall pick. Over the past month, though, Brown has seen his stock drop a few slots.  As for intangibles, Martin, the Cal coach, spoke glowingly about Brown the day the 19-year old announced his decision to turn pro. “He’s such a wonderful young man,” said Martin.  “I’ll be 45 years old, and I’ve learned a tremendous amount from Jaylen, his humility, his understanding about life.  Off the court, he doesn’t want to talk a lot about basketball.  He wants to talk about life, education, how to learn, how to grow.  That’s why I think he’ll be very successful, not just in basketball, but in life.” Whether that holds true in respect to Brown’s hoops career, we’ll soon start to find out. Skillset SnapshotTransition OffenseOffensively this past season, Brown generated 0.853 points per possession, which put him in the middle of the pack among his NCAA Division I peers.  Brown appeared to be at his best when operating in the open floor, producing 1.132 points per possession in such scenarios.  The recipe for Brown’s transition success?  An effective combination of speed, athleticism, and ball-handling, as exhibited in the footage below, which comes from Cal’s February 28th 87-65 victory over USC.  Sensing the urgency that the first-half game clock warranted, Brown hurries – in fluid fashion – roughly 75 feet down the floor, beating three Trojans en route to unfurling a buzzer-beating scoop shot.  Of note, he switched hands while making the finish.  Pick-and-Roll Ball-HandlingNot only did Brown’s handle pay dividends in transition, it also allowed him to become a factor in Cal’s pick-and-roll offense.  Pick-and-roll sets were the second-most frequent play-type that the Golden Bears used this past season.  Specifically, when Brown was the pick-and-roll ball-handler, and opposing defenses made defensive moves on him, he demonstrated the potential to handle the pressure.  Here, in the second half of Cal’s regular season finale at Arizona State, a 68-65 win, Brown uses a top-of-the-arc pick set by Kameron Rooks to slither past ASU’s Obinna Oleka (#5).  When Kodi Justice (#44) slides over to shut off Brown’s path to the hoop, Tyrone Wallace (#3) alertly makes a hard cut to the cup.  Brown hits him with a baseline pass, and Wallace makes a nice finish on the contested dunk attempt. Mid-Range TouchAnother encouraging aspect of Brown’s offensive game was his mid-range jump shot.  Out of the 55 two-point jumpers Brown attempted, 20 of them were fired from distances between 17 feet and the three-point arc.  Out of those 20 mid-range shots, 11 hit the bottom of the net.  Yes, the mid-range sample-size wasn’t large, but Brown still displayed some promise.  For evidence, let’s revisit Cal’s March 5th match-up with Arizona State.  With the Bears looking to wedge breathing room between themselves and the Sun Devils, Tyrone Wallace (#3) passes out to Brown, who drifts to the top of the arc from the left sideline.  Brown then puts a dribble on the floor, before rising up and sticking a left wing jumper over Willie Atwood (#2).Brown’s touch also surfaced on January 31st, in Cal’s eventual 70-62 road loss to Colorado.  Isolated on the left wing, Brown smoothly brings the ball under the three-point line by putting an effortless cross-over on George King (#24). DefenseAs referenced earlier in this profile, Brown held his own defensively this season.  Operating mostly in man defensive sets, he limited the opponents he faced to 0.809 points per possession.  In particular, Brown, when covering pick-and-roll ball handlers, ended up yielding just 0.783 points per possession.  Take a look at this instance. Against Arizona on March 3rd, with Cal trying to fight back, Brown follows Alonzo Trier (#11) out to the right perimeter; however, he soon finds himself contending with a screen set by seven-footer Kaleb Tarczewski (#35).  Brown first goes under the pick, turns Tarczewski around, and then goes over the pick, all while managing to keep Trier in front of him, and forcing Trier into the big body of Kingsley Okoroh (#22). Brown’s prowess in the open floor made for a valuable defensive asset.  In this next clip, Davidson, in a December 28th appearance at Cal, attempts to get into its half-court offense. Brown is positioned on the left wing, giving Oskar Michelsen (#15) plenty of space.  Sensing that Peyton Aldridge (#23) will try to pass over to Michelsen, Brown tightens his coverage, fends off a potential screen, and comes away with a steal.  From there, it’s off to the races, with Brown sidestepping Aldridge, delivering a bucket, and drawing a foul in the process. Outside ObservationCal head coach Cuonzo Martin on April 21st, after Brown announced his decision to declare for the NBA Draft:”He’s a tremendous young man with a passion for learning.  He has tremendous leadership skills, He’s humble.  He wants to be good.  He values teammates.  He values your opinion, and he wants to grow.  I think that speaks volumes about how he was raised.  I’m happy for him.”Mock Draft Projections (latest projections as of 6/3)NBA.com: #4 (Suns)DraftExpress.com: #7 (Nuggets)NBADraft.net: #8 (Kings)ESPN.com: #8 (Kings)