Will Mizzou star Kobe Brown enter 2023 NBA Draft? Here’s what the process looks like
Missouri basketball coach Dennis Gates said during the first stop of the school’s annual speaking tour that All-SEC forward Kobe Brown is continuing to mull over his decision on whether to enter the NBA Draft.
Brown said after the season that he would consider his options, not publicly leaning either way.
On Wednesday, Gates confirmed that Brown will be “testing the waters.”
“We haven’t officially announced that yet; right now he’s waiting for the Undergraduate Advisory Committee to return the information of where his potential is,” Gates said. “Obviously they do that from the standpoint of: across the country you have undergrads who have eligibility, Kobe has a year left. There’s no doubt about it, we want him back, but more importantly, we want him to purse his dreams and aspirations.”
In recent NBA mock drafts, Brown has been projected as a second-round pick. His deadline to enter the draft is April 23, but he could withdraw from the process and return to school until May 31.
The NBA’s Undergraduate Advisory Committee evaluates players ahead of the draft process and lets them know where they will likely be chosen.
“Once that information is returned, he’ll be able to make a decision based off of, ‘OK, do I test the waters? How much do I test?’” Gates said. “The other portion is (the) Chicago combine camp is in the middle of May and the deadline to announce returning is at the end of May, so right now we won’t know anything for sure of Kobe Brown until the end of May. But we want our guys to test the waters.”
Brown was a first-team All-SEC selection during the 2022-23 season. He was one of just three players to return to MU from the previous campaign, as Gates took over as head coach before the season.
He averaged 15.8 points per game last season, along with 6.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists. Brown also greatly improved his three-point shooting, making 45.5% of his attempts, up from 20.6% in 2021-22.
Overall, Brown shot 55.3% from the field.
The Star has partnered with the Columbia Daily Tribune for coverage of Missouri Tigers athletics.
This story was originally published April 13, 2023 at 3:56 PM with the headline "Will Mizzou star Kobe Brown enter 2023 NBA Draft? Here’s what the process looks like."