A look at potential New Orleans Pelicans draft pick, Louisville Cardinals guard Mikel Brown Jr.
The 2026 NBA draft is quickly approaching, and to no one's surprise, it appears that the New Orleans Pelicans don't want to wait for pick No. 58 and could be maneuvering to get back into the lottery.
The reports are that the Pelicans are trying to get back into the top 10 for a specific player, which means they are infatuated with a certain talent. Someone in the class has an "it" factor that New Orleans has identified. The early reports that the Pelicans are interested in Nate Ament only fuel that flame.
Looking through other options for New Orleans to potentially move up for, one is Louisville Cardinals guard Mikel Brown Jr., whose key skill is his shooting.
The Pelicans seemingly have their point guard of the future in Jeremiah Fears, but he needs a longterm running mate. Brown could be that option as a capable off-ball shooter.
The guard put up big numbers in his lone college season, averaging 18.2 points, 3.3 rebounds and 4.7 assists on 41.0/34.4/84.4 shooting splits with 1.2 steals per game. Similar to Ament, who has fans in New Orleans divided, Brown's efficiency leaves a bit to be desired. He has a bit more of an excuse given his position and the fact that put up 7.6 threes a game.
This may not be great selling point for Pelicans fans after what they saw this past season, but Brown projects out as someone who could very well end up similar to Jordan Poole. Great floor spacers who can take games over, but that could end up costing them.
In one of the biggest games of the season against the Duke Blue Devils, Brown had just seven points and shot 1-of-13 from the field. In his final game of the season, he scored just five points and went 2-of-10 from the field. Of course he also had his heights like his 45-point showing against NC State where he went 10-of-16 from deep.
Should the New Orleans Pelicans trade up for Mikel Brown Jr.?
It makes sense if they are going full rebuild. Brown is a young player who won't turn 21 until late into his rookie campaign. He's a raw talent. There is a lot to like about what he brings to the offensive side of the game, he probably isn't someone who will come in and contribute to winning basketball.
His level of three-point efficiency and volume fits perfectly next to Fears and Derik Queen in the long-term plans, but would probably be a setback in the immediate future.
