Louisville guard Mikel Brown Jr. points and dribbles during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Baylor, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026, in Fort Worth, Texas.
LM Otero/AP
The Dallas Mavericks’ hopes to run away with the No. 1 overall pick for a second straight year were squandered last weekend with a drop to No. 9, but that doesn’t mean they can’t come away with a great player at that spot.
The franchise enters a new era under Masai Ujiri and Mike Schmitz, who are tasked with building a competitive roster around Cooper Flagg. This year’s lottery pick could be the final chance for the Mavericks to pair Flagg with a running mate who fits his timeline, since they don’t own control of any other first-rounders until 2031.
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Dallas had glaring offensive issues last season stemming from a void at point guard, a position in this draft that features plenty of promising young prospects. Louisville point guard Mikel Brown Jr. could be the kind of player who would thrive in Dallas because of his explosive finishing ability, elite playmaking and consistent perimeter shooting.
At the NBA draft combine in Chicago last week, Brown described his versatility as an asset.
“Just being an impact player in any way possible,” he said. “Whatever the team needs me to do, I’m going to do. I feel like I can adapt to any situation, whether that’s being the guy or being somebody that has to play off of somebody else. I can do that.”
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In Dallas, Brown would be asked to play both roles, likely as a combo guard. He measured out at 6-3½ without shoes and 190 pounds, which gives him the mold of a traditional point guard. He has a standing reach of 8-4½ and a wingspan of 6-7½, measurements that projects elite defensive potential at that size.
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Related: Which player should Mavs target with NBA draft’s No. 9 pick?
The Mavericks cycled through several point guards last season, including Flagg, Brandon Williams, Ryan Nembhard, Tyus Jones, D’Angelo Russell and even Naji Marshall at times. With Kyrie Irving sidelined to recover from ACL surgery, head coach Jason Kidd was forced to experiment with as many options as possible. Williams is set to be an unrestricted free agent, and the Mavericks own a team option for Nembhard’s contract next season.
Flagg had a usage rate of 26.4%, which led the Mavericks and tied for 41st in the NBA, joining the likes of All-Star forwards Jalen Johnson and Brandon Ingram. Adding another ballhandler could alleviate the pressure to have Flagg and Irving be the team’s primary initiators. With Irving presumably gearing up for a healthy return, Brown would also have a veteran who’s also played both guard positions. Brown said he hadn’t met with the Mavericks as of last Wednesday, but he’d relish the opportunity if the stars align.
“It’s something that we’ll have to have a conversation on, but Dallas is a great place to play,” Brown said. “I feel like I’ll fit right beside Coop really well, just to ease the pressure off of him. And then you have people I can learn from Kyrie, Jason Kidd, who’s an all-time great. Just having those people around me. It’s definitely a great organization as well. Definitely would be a great opportunity there.”
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Louisville guard Mikel Brown Jr. (0) shoots against Baylor center Caden Powell (44) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026, in Fort Worth, Texas.
LM Otero/AP
Brown averaged 18.2 points, 3.3 rebounds and 4.7 assists as a true freshman at Louisville. On Feb. 9, Brown scored a career-high 45 points in a blowout victory over NC State, which broke Flagg’s ACC single-game rookie scoring record of 42. The game offered a glimpse of his elite scoring potential, especially from 3 as he knocked down 10 of 16 from beyond the arc.
It was the brightest moment for Brown, who only appeared in 21 games because of a nagging back injury that kept him out of the final two games of the regular season, along with the Atlantic Coast Conference and NCAA Tournaments.
The first question Brown received last Wednesday was about the state of his back, which he says required rehabilitation and mobility exercises.
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“Those two months taking off definitely helped me prioritize my rehab,” Brown said. “I really didn’t touch a ball like that. I just focused on getting back to where I was before the season started and I feel amazing. I feel great. I feel better than I have in a long time. I can’t wait to get back on the floor.”
The uncertainty surrounding Brown’s back is likely the reason most national mock drafts project him to be in the second half of the lottery, with other guards such as Darius Acuff Jr., Kingston Flemings and Keaton Wagler leading the way after the consensus top 4. Despite Brown’s efficient 3-point shooting clip of 34.4%, he made 41% of his overall shots from the field.
His back injury is one of the reasons he candidly suggested he still has more to prove despite his success in college.
“In all honesty, I don’t feel like I played my best ball this year even when I was playing,” Brown said. “I feel like there’s a lot of things I can improve on and go look at the film and get better from. I think that’s the perks of having this dead period — before the combine and after the combine and the draft — you can find the stuff that you need to work on and teams tell you they think you need to improve on. I apply that to every single one of my workouts and continue to work on it. It’s a blessing.”
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According to several draft analysts, Brown had a strong pro day performance Thursday in Chicago and appeared fully healthy, showing no signs of pain. He has spent most of his predraft process working out twice per day in his hometown of Orlando. Brown said NBA teams have said he needs to work on his shot selection and his defensive effort, which he addressed last week.
“First and foremost, I wouldn’t take any shot that I don’t work on, but there’s definitely been some things that I’ve looked back at film on and I could’ve got a better shot,” Brown said. “Just taking more efficient shots, understanding what shots to take in that moment. That’s some things these teams have said and also just effort-wise on the defensive end. I think I can be a really good two-way player in this league, so I would definitely say that as well.”
His ability to set the table for teammates is a skill he said will translate to the league on Day 1.
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“Obviously, I can shoot the ball well, but definitely creating for others, putting my teammates in the right positions to be successful,” Brown said. “I think I do a really good job of trying to get a feel for where my teammates like the ball at, where certain players like the ball at and try to get it to them right in that spot. I think that’s what separates me.”
The Mavericks need a point guard of the future. They would benefit from Brown’s talent, but only if he’s still available by the time Dallas is on the clock.