Over at SB Nation, I have a listing of the top 10 PG's available in the 2012 NBA Draft, and, as much as it pains me as a Texas alum, J'Covan Brown did not make the list.
Brown matured in front of our eyes in Austin, going from a academic washout whose attitude almost got him kicked off the team as a freshman to the respected veteran leader of an overachieving young squad as a junior.
He's a creative ball-handler with a good feel for the game and an excellent outside shot, but he fell outside the top 10 for two reasons: he's not a pure point guard and he's not a good athlete at 6'2 200.
His lack of foot-speed means he'll be a defensive liability at the next level, and he hasn't proven he's a good enough play-maker to play solely as a point guard (and not as a combo scoring guard) in the NBA.
That's what makes his decision to declare for the draft as a junior so disappointing: his assist to turnover ratio improved every year in Austin, culminating in 3.8 assists to 2.7 turnovers last year. If he had come back as a senior and moved that number closer to 2 than 1.5 while improving his shooting efficiency numbers, he would have a much better chance of being drafted.
As it is, he's probably going to be an undrafted free agent who won't be given much of a shot to make a roster as a rookie, which means a long stint in the D-League is probably in his future. However, he could carve out a nice living playing overseas, so he'll have an interesting decision to make this summer.
An interview w/Brown during the NBA Draft Combine:
For more coverage of Brown and the rest of the local players in the 2012 NBA Draft, stay tuned to the SB Nation Dallas StoryStream.