Mikel Brown Jr. Declares for 2026 Draft

Mikel Brown Jr. has declared for the 2026 NBA draft after one season at Louisville. The projected top-10 pick averaged 18.2 points, 4.7 assists and 3.3 rebounds in 21 games, but a recurring lower back injury cost him 14 games. Brown is No. 8 in Bleacher Report’s latest mock draft. Jonathan Wasserman said teams will need to investigate the injury and called Brown’s results “mixed,” despite his NBA-level shotmaking and creativity. Brown had a 45-point game against NC State and back-to-back 29-point games against Baylor and SMU. The draft starts June 24, with the lottery set for May 10.