The NBA Draft is just a few weeks away, and there is starting to become more clarity on where some of the top prospects could end up. As far as the top four, everyone knows that AJ Dybansta, Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer, and Caleb Wilson will be off the board, but the No. 5 pick is where the draft really starts.
There has been uncertainty about who the Los Angeles Clippers could select, but it’s been noted that it could be one of the guards, such as Keaton Wagler, Kingston Flemings, or Darius Acuff Jr. There is one more name that shouldn’t be left out, and ESPN’s Sean Farnham believes this player will get his name called before the other three guards.
“[Mikel Brown Jr.] has now moved his name up, and the momentum is on his side to potentially be the No. 5 pick in this draft and leapfrog the other three,” Farnham said.
"[Mikel Brown Jr.] has now moved his name up and the momentum is on his side."@SeanFarnham joins @MJAcostaTV to discuss the latest surrounding the fifth pick in the NBA draft
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— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) June 12, 2026
“You have to go back and look at the totality of his scouting. Go back to Team USA in the U19s when he was arguably the best player on the floor on a team that AJ Dybantsa was on. But then you start to look at the film, and you understand the skillset that is there,” Farnham continued. “Yes, he missed a ton of time because of back issues, but what you can’t fake is the range.
“Mikel Brown Jr. has destroyed his workouts so far, and because he’s destroyed those workouts, then all of a sudden there’s a lot of thought process that he will go No. 5.”
Brown’s back injury is definitely something that has been the spotlight of his scouting report, but he might also have the biggest upside of the guards in the draft.
As the draft draws near, it will be interesting to see if Brown’s stock continues to rise.
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