With the NBA finals concluded and my heart damn near broken, the NBA turns to the 2016 draft this Thursday. Many expect Ben Simmons to be selected as the top overall pick but the rest of the draft opens up significantly after that. As of late, there has been a lot of buzz regarding the Boston Celtics and former Cal star Jaylen Brown. Brown has consistently remained in the top five of most mock drafts and the more time NBA scouts have around him the more positives come out. Perhaps no other team seems to be as high on Brown as the Boston Celtics however.
The Celtics have apparently held a second workout for Brown and Cal fans can officially start salivating over the idea of Brown playing under a coach like Brad Stevens. Our Celtic SB nation brethren did an excellent piece on the Celtics choices at number three overall as well as the impact of Brown's academic pursuits. Brown is one of the more polarizing prospects in the NBA draft however as we get closer to draft day, it seems like the Celtics are the most likely landing spot.
Chad Ford of ESPN released his ninth iteration of his mock draft and lists Jaylen at the number three slot. What is also interesting is Jimmy Butler mentioned Jaylen Brown as a player that he loves and what an amazing (but almost unnecessary) combination that would potentially make in Minnesota next season.
Looking around at a few other publications, Jaylen's floor is somewhere between the seven and eight picks owned by the Nuggets and Kings respectively. Sacramento for what it is worth isn't looking like the woebegone destination it once was with a new coaching staff in place. Denver also has a few core pieces but both teams are not likely to make too much noise in a heavyweight western conference.
Cal fans, where do you expect Jaylen to end up this Thursday?