Former Oregon men’s basketball forward Troy Brown Jr. was picked No. 15 overall in the 2018 NBA Draft by the Washington Wizards.
Brown is the first University of Oregon first-round pick since 2007, when Aaron Brooks was drafted by the Houston Rockets No. 26 overall. He is also the highest overall selection for UO since Luke Jackson was drafted 10th overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2004, and Brown is the first one-and-done to be picked from Oregon.
Brown showed strong defense, rebounding ability and quality ball movement during his lone season in Eugene. He averaged 11.3 points per game, 6.2 rebounds per game and 3.2 assists per game. But Brown did struggle from beyond the arc, shooting .291 this season from 3-point range. His career-high in points was 21 against both Colorado (Dec. 31) and Washington (Feb. 18).
The Wizards currently have three big-money forwards that play a similar position as Brown, with Otto Porter Jr., Markieff Morris and Kelly Oubre Jr. on payroll. Brown did play point guard in high school, giving him some versatility to play from outside.
Oregon now has six alumni in the NBA with Brown joining Brooks (Minnesota Timberwolves), Joe Young (Indiana Pacers), Chris Boucher (Golden State Warriors) and last year’s draftees Jordan Bell (Golden State Warriors), Dillon Brooks (Memphis Grizzlies) and Tyler Dorsey (Atlanta Hawks).
Follow Maverick Pallack on Twitter @mavpallack