What is Kobe Brown's timeline for entering the NBA Draft or returning to Mizzou basketball?
Dennis Gates would love for Kobe Brown to come back to Missouri basketball. Brown was an all-SEC player last season and was one of the centerpieces of the Tigers’ return to prominence.
But MU’s head coach knows Brown has bigger dreams. For now, the forward is gathering information.
“There’s deadlines within the NBA, there’s deadlines that you have to follow,” Gates said Thursday. “We won’t know anything with Kobe’s position, because he’s not that lottery pick on paper, he has to go through that process. We won’t know until that Chicago combine that the feedback is where it should be for him to make a decision for him and his family.”
For now, Gates said he was making himself available to answer any questions Brown might have. The MU star is being projected as a second-round pick in recent mock drafts, including the most recent from ESPN, which has him going 43rd overall to the San Antonio Spurs.
However the NBA views him, Gates gave Brown his highest endorsement as he continues through the process.
“They have him in that second-round range,” Gates said. “Do I think Kobe Brown’s a first-round pick? Absolutely. Absolutely. But the council above doesn’t know the things that I know about him and they’re doing a lot of research on college athletes, and it’s a ton. So I just hope he gets the feedback he needs to make the decision that’s viable for him and his future.”
Whether he stays or goes, the time for decisions is rapidly approaching for Brown. Here’s the timeline for his NBA Draft process.
April 23: Early entry deadline
If Brown has any intention of going to the draft, he’ll have to officially put his name in the hat by the early entry deadline. Doing so won’t mean he can’t return to school, as he could still go through much of the draft process before withdrawing and heading back to college.
G League Elite camp: May 13-14
Brown is being projected as a second-round pick, which could lead to him spending time in the G League. The event, held in Chicago, puts prospects in front of executives for both the G League and the NBA.
Players at the camp take part in 5-on-5 games, plus drills. Some of them will also take part in the NBA Combine.
NBA Combine: May 15-23
Also held in Chicago after the G League camp, the combine puts players through various drills in front of NBA brass. Parts of it are televised on ESPN’s networks.
NBA Draft lottery: May 16
This part of the process will likely not impact Brown as much as it would some other players in the draft. The teams that did not make the playoffs will find out what order they will be picking in.
NCAA early withdrawal deadline: May 31
If Brown is returning to school, this is the last possible time to make the decision. Players can remove their names from draft consideration and go back to college basketball.
Players who remain after this point are all-in on their professional futures.
NBA early withdrawal deadline: June 12
Even if they passed the NCAA’s deadline, players could still opt to drop out of the draft process. However, they would no longer have college eligibility and would have to play in a non-NBA pro league next season.
NBA Draft: June 22
Held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn this year, the real show happens on June 22. The NBA Draft is two rounds and features 60 picks.
Following the draft, players who don’t get picked can sign with teams as free agents.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Kobe Brown's timeline for entering the NBA Draft or returning to Missouri
