Texas Basketball: 3 bold predictions in Big 12 play for Longhorns
1) Texas basketball bold predictions in Big 12 play
Kai Jones and Greg Brown is the starting frontcourt by season’s end
You would assume that the frontcourt pairing of the future for the Longhorns would not include the senior center Jericho Sims. But there’s a good chance that Sims will be around for just as long for Texas as the likes of the elite former five-star hometown recruit and freshman power forward Greg Brown. Sims and Brown could both very well be gone next season.
The play of Brown early in his career on the Forty Acres isn’t too promising for where his draft stock is trending, though. He started out this college hoops season as a firmly projected lottery pick. Some have even dropped him as low as an early second round pick come the 2021 NBA Draft. That’s not great news for Brown.
The good news for him, though, is that he has a good while to piece his game together. And he maybe had his overall best and most efficient game, still early in his college career, in the Longhorns win over Texas State last week. Brown registered a game-high 18 points, two rebounds, and three blocks in the 21-point win for Texas.
Brown has started in all six games he’s played in so far this season.
Moreover, another Texas big man that is off to a very efficient start this season is the sophomore power forward Kai Jones. Starting in just one of the six games he’s played in so far this season, Jones is contributing in a big way for Smart off the bench.
Next. 3 takeaways from imposing win over Texas State. dark
So far this season, Jones registered a sparkling 143 offensive rating/85 defensive rating, 12.8 box plus/minus rating, 26.8 player efficiency rating, 87.4 true shooting percentage, and .288 win shares per 40 minutes. It’s not improbable that Smart makes the frontcourt pairing of Jones and Brown the starters for him by season’s end.