Chicago Bulls 2021 NBA Draft Scouting Report: Texas PF Greg Brown

In the midst of the 2021 NBA Draft Combine, the Chicago Bulls can start to decipher who is at the top of their big board. The Bulls hold the 38th overall pick in the second round of the 2021 draft. Since they didn’t get in the top four in the draft lottery earlier this week, the Bulls lost their first-round draft pick to the Orlando Magic. That original Bulls first-round pick will be with the Magic in the eighth spot.

What still works out well for the Bulls here is know if that they have a front office capable of potentially making good use out of this second-round pick. Most NBA fans can remember the former Denver Nuggets general manager Arturas Karnisovas selected the now superstar big man Nikola Jokic in the second round of the 2014 draft.

In a deep draft class this year, there could be a nice opportunity to find another hidden gem. If nothing else, it would be nice to see the Bulls nab a solid reserve player. That’s what the Bulls might be able to find in the first edition of our scouting reports for who the Bulls have a shot at getting in the second round.

Former Texas Longhorns elite five-star recruit and freshman power forward Greg Brown has a high ceiling at the next level. But questions do remain about how polished his game is coming out of Texas.

Here’s a look at some of the strengths and witnesses, along with the background of the former Longhorn Brown for the 2021 draft.

Chicago Bulls 2021 NBA Draft scouting reports: Texas PF Greg Brown

Brown came out of Vandegrift High School in Austin, TX, with high marks as a potential mid-to-late lottery pick. And it still looks like that’s where the ceiling remains for Brown. What dropped the draft stock of Brown so far during the 2020-21 college hoops season were questions about his consistency game-in and game-out, on-ball defending, versatility, outside shooting ability, and court vision.

Now, that may sound like a lot, but that’s the chance a team like the Bulls would be taking if they drafted Brown.

Greg Brown’s strengths

The unquestioned strengths of Brown are still his rebounding and rim-protecting, motor, and insane athleticism. Brown is also one of the younger prospects in this draft class, potentially letting him become somewhat of a project forward for Karnisovas and the Bulls like they got in Patrick Williams in last year’s draft lottery.

Some of the more granular strengths for Brown include his consistent ability to drive and get to the rim on his right, shoot it from the corners, and his ferocity on the offensive glass. He stands at 6-foot-9 and 205 pounds, with a wingspan around 6-foot-11 and a vertical leap that was reportedly (thanks to hookem.com) around 44 inches.

Given the overall effort and high motor of Brown, that really doesn’t stop in-game, he could wind up being a monster on the offensive boards at the next level. Brown registered an offensive rebounding percentage around seven during his freshman campaign at Texas, and a block percentage of five.

Those are solid numbers for any power forward, and he could continue that type of production at the next level.

There were times where Brown was a good shooter from the field too. He shot 33.3 percent from beyond the arc during his freshman campaign. But he did start to shoot a lot better from beyond the arc during Big 12 play, around 38 percent.

If that trend continues, then Brown should be a good floor-spacing big man that is also explosive when driving the lane.

Greg Brown’s weaknesses

Without a doubt, Brown is going to have to make adaptations to his game in the NBA that he wasn’t able to in college. We got to see fellow Texas power forward and breakthrough standout sophomore Kai Jones become a lottery-caliber talent before our eyes last season where Brown regressed in certain areas.

In some ways, it felt like Brown could’ve done some good by returning to college for one more year to round out his game. But any chances of that happening looked to fade after now-former Texas head coach Shaka Smart left the Longhorns for the Marquette job.

Moreover, Brown will need time to develop in the NBA. There will be times that he could shoot poorly from the field, frequently turn the ball over, and get lost on and off-ball on defense.

Brown did register a 2.7 defensive box plus/minus during his freshman campaign at Texas, but he often got lost going through ball screens and with help defense on the opposite side.

The hope is that the physical tools and rebounding ability of Brown, along with his motor, can help to make up for other defensive lapses. All in all, Brown should be able to reach the point of a net positive defender in the NBA in his first few years.

Where the real problems begin for Brown are with how one-dimensional his offensive game was at times. He also had some real turnover problems at Texas. He has about as bad of an assist-to-turnover ratio that you could find for a power forward.

Brown registered a whopping 60 turnovers and just 15 assists during his one year with the Longhorns. That amounted to a tragic turnover rate well over 20 percent, and an assist rate lower than four percent. Considering he also had a usage rate around 27 percent, he’s got to find a way to be more efficient on the offensive end.

If Brown can find a spot where he can be more effective driving with his left, and getting to the free-throw line, then he could be a more efficient offensive player. He already improved his three-point shooting down the stretch, and if he can find his spots on offense then the turnovers will naturally decline.

Greg Brown Pro Comparison: Kevin Knox

It’s hard to find a second-round draft prospect with a higher ceiling that is also as young as Brown. That type of appeal would be hard to ignore for any team if he is available in the second round of this draft. With him likely to go anywhere between the late first to the middle of the second round, Brown could fall right into the wheelhouse of Karnisovas and the Bulls.