Texas SF Greg Brown’s one-and-done status official, declares for the 2021 NBA Draft

The Texas Longhorns officially have their latest of the one-and-done era.

Texas freshman forward Greg Brown III declared for the 2021 NBA Draft on Thursday by signing with an agent. The 6’9, 205-pound native Austinite out of Vandegrift High School finishes out his short-lived tenure as a Longhorn with 9.3 points per game, 6.2 rebounds, 0.4 assists and 42-percent shooting from the field, according to data compiled by the Mother Ship, as in ESPN. He was also named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year prior to the NCAA Tournament’s tip-off.

Analysts anticipate Brown going sometime late in the first round or early in the second round of the NBA Draft.

“First off, I would like to thank the University of Texas for the historical year and all the great memories,” Brown said on Instagram. “I will cherish them forever. I have decided to chase my dreams and enter the 2021 NBA Draft and sign with BDA Sports.”

It perhaps goes without seeing that we could all see his professional intentions coming, as Brown was among the most highly-touted men’s basketball recruits in recent Texas sports memory. ESPN ranked him as the nation’s No. 9 player coming out of high school; 247Sports composite, the No. 9 player; and according to Rivals, he was the country’s No. 8 prospect last year. And for the most part, the talented freshman lived up to the hype during the 2020-2021 season, despite a lack of minutes played during the season’s disappointing end at the hands of the Abilene Christian Wildcats in the NCAA Tournament’s second round.

Earlier this year, Sports Illustrated included Brown in their top 60 players ahead of the NBA Draft. SI wrote of Brown, “Brown is one of the best athletes in the draft and has gotten more comfortable at the college level over the course of the season, but his overall feel remains a major point of concern for teams. ... Brown’s tools likely warrant a first-round selection, and he’s helped himself to an extent by consistently playing hard on both ends. It’s just that his impact on winning is pretty limited right now, with a pronounced lack of passing acumen and limited ball skills that make it tough for him to consistently utilize his tools. Teaming with better playmakers in the NBA should help unlock Brown as a lob threat and cutter, and he’s displayed a workable jumper. He has a long way to go before he can consistently impact an NBA game, but he’s also a tempting gamble in this messy range of the draft.”