Missouri basketball: Where will Kobe Brown go in 2023 NBA Draft? Latest mock draft predictions
It’s official. Kobe Brown is forgoing his final season of eligibility for Missouri basketball and remaining in the NBA Draft. Brown made the announcement Wednesday, the last day players could pull out of the draft and return to school.
Most NBA mock drafts have Brown going in the second round. The draft is scheduled for June 22 in Brooklyn.
More: Missouri basketball's Kobe Brown will remain in NBA Draft, forego last year of eligibility
The first round will air on ESPN and ABC, with the second only on ESPN. Before that, here are the specifics from the latest round of expert projections.
The Athletic— No. 36 overall
Sam Vecenie’s latest prediction has Brown heading to the Orlando Magic. The Magic have two picks ahead of No. 36, and The Athletic has them selecting UCF’s Taylor Hendricks and No. 6 and Kansas’ Gradey Dick at No. 11 overall before taking Brown with their first second-round selection.
The Magic finished last season 34-48, in 13th place in the Eastern Conference.
ESPN— No. 46 overall
With the second-round pick acquired via a trade with the New Orleans Pelicans, ESPN's Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo projected the Atlanta Hawks will take Brown. The Hawks have one pick before that one, and ESPN projected them to take Keyonte George from Baylor.
The Hawks fell to the Celtics in the first round of the 2022-23 playoffs after finishing the regular season 41-41.
Draft Digest— No. 36 overall
Matt Bobcock’s prediction was the same as The Athletic’s— second round to the Orlando Magic.
Yahoo Sports— No. 51 overall
Krysten Peek was lower on Brown than some other mocks. She had the Missouri star staying in the same city where the draft will be held, going in the second round to the Brooklyn Nets.
The Nets finished the 2022-23 regular season 45-37. They lost in the first round of the playoff against the Philadelphia 76ers.
USA Today: The Rookie Wire— No. 38 overall
This projection sends Brown to a playoff team, the Sacramento Kings, in the second round. The Kings went 48-34 in the regular season, falling to the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the playoffs.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Missouri basketball: Kobe Brown 2023 NBA Draft projections
