ESPN just predicted the Mavericks to pull off the biggest steal of the draft

A lot is up in the air for the Dallas Mavericks in terms of who they'll be targeting in the 2026 NBA Draft until the results from the draft lottery are posted on May 10. Dallas currently has the eighth-best chance at the No. 1 pick, but if they stay in the 8-10 range of the first round, Louisville guard Mikel Brown Jr. may be the steal Dallas is looking for, and ESPN has Dallas taking Brown Jr. in their latest mock draft.

Brown Jr. has the most upside out of any guards in the lottery, even if he wasn't as efficient from the field in college as someone like Kingston Flemings, Darius Acuff Jr., or Keaton Wagler. Lower back injuries limited him to just 21 games at Louisville, as he missed the end of the regular season and tournament play, hence why his draft stock has dipped.

ESPN has Mavericks selecting Mikel Brown Jr. at No. 8

A strong showing at the NBA Draft Combine and in team workouts could elevate Brown Jr. outside of Dallas' range, but there's still a good chance he'll land outside the top five if Dallas fails to move up in the lottery.

At 6-foot-5, Brown Jr. has great size for a point guard, as he plays both sides of the ball and is an elite athlete. Similar to Cooper Flagg, he has advanced finishing ability with either hand, and this ambidexterity plays to his advantage in playmaking situations as well.

Brown Jr. could definitely benefit from adding some size and muscle to finish at the rim consistently at the NBA level, as well as to defend wings at a higher rate. His shot selection and decision-making can be in question sometimes, but these are undoubtedly traits he can work on through film study and repetition, as his intangibles give him the potential to be one of the more explosive point guards in recent memory.

Brown Jr. has the most upside of any guard in the lottery

Brown Jr. averaged 18.2 points, 4.7 assists, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game with shooting splits of 41.0/34.4/84.4. His jump-shot mechanics are very solid, and his free-throw percentage suggests he can definitely evolve quickly as an outside shooter at the NBA level, especially when being surrounded by other elite creators such as Kyrie Irving and Flagg.

Brown Jr. definitely profiles more as a point guard, but he has the size to be able to play shooting guard alongside Irving if Dallas wanted to start them both at some point next season. This would depend heavily on how quickly his jumper develops, but it certainly isn't something that would be completely out of the question because of his defensive ability, like it would be if Dallas selected someone like Acuff Jr.

If the Mavericks don't move up in the lottery, Brown Jr. is their best bet at No. 8 or lower, as he has a huge ceiling, even if his floor may be lower compared to other prospects. He'd have the potential to be Dallas' long-term point guard of the future next to Flagg, and would get the chance to learn from one of the best to ever do it as his position through Irving. His ability to impact winning from the get-go could be questionable, but Dallas couldn't pass up on his potential if he fell to them at No. 8.

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