Bay area writer says Cal’s Jaylen Brown could be mistake for Suns at No. 4
Jun 3, 2016, 7:02 PM | Updated: Jun 5, 2016, 3:46 pm
California's Jaylen Brown, center, keeps the ball from Sam Houston State's Albert Almanza, left, and Jalin Barnes, right, in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Monday, Nov. 23, 2015, in Berkeley, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)
(AP Photo/Ben Margot)
One of the players commonly linked to the Phoenix Suns at the fourth overall pick might be a big mistake, if the Suns do indeed draft him.
At least, that’s what one writer who covered the player in college said.
Jaylen Brown, a forward out of the University of California, has come up on numerous mock drafts as being the top selection for the Suns. But Ron Kroichick, a sports columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle, said he thinks the Suns would be wise to go a different direction.
“He’s an interesting character, a smart kid, a remarkable athlete,” Kroichick told Off the Edge on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM Friday. “Not a remarkable basketball player yet, I don’t think. He’s got, what they like to call, upside, right? I mean, he could be great down the line. He was great at times in his one year at Cal, and he was terrible at times in his one year at Cal. I mean, there was a stretch of four or five games late in the season and then in the NCAA Tournament where he was bad.”
Brown played just one year at California, where he averaged 14.6 points and 5.4 rebounds per game, which included six 20-point games. He was named the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and was also honored to a spot on the Pac-12 All-Conference First Team.
With no power forward under contract for the Suns at the moment, it makes sense for the team to use their highest draft pick on one of the best forwards available. And for the majority of the season, Brown proved that he was a highly explosive and offensive weapon.
But in his last five games, he averaged just 7.8 points and 3.2 rebounds, including a four-point performance in the Golden Bears’ upset loss to Hawaii in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
“His ball handling is an issue,” Kroichick said. “His outside shooting is sort of erratic. But, he goes to the hoop and people scatter. He’s strong and he’s incredibly athletic. He finishes well. He’s going to be a very good player.
“I’d be uncomfortable taking him at four.”
