NBA front offices divided on Cal’s Jaylen Brown

Surrounded by reporters last week at the NBA draft combine, Jaylen Brown’s iPhone began to chime as he fielded a question about his mentors. Perhaps Thomas is the ideal mentor for the NBA hopeful because, like the embattled Thomas, Brown is somewhat of a polarizing figure. While some see an elite athlete with an NBA-ready frame, others see a raw prospect still learning how to play within himself. “You look at what he could potentially do, if you fix some of his mechanics,” said a Western Conference scout, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he isn’t authorized to speak publicly about prospects. In recent years, more and more top prospects have bypassed elements of the combine — and in some cases, altogether — in the hopes of preserving their upper-echelon status. Brown, who announced his intentions last month to forgo his remaining college eligibility, is the rare player who touched down in Chicago without an agent. Unlike fellow potential lottery picks Brandon Ingram, Buddy Hield and Jamal Murray who were in town only to interview with teams, Brown participated in the media portion. Though his numbers — 14.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and two assists per game — were enough for him to become Cal’s first Pac-12 Freshman of the Year since Allen Crabbe in 2011, Brown often played out of control and committed a team-high 108 fouls. With Tyrone Wallace and Jabari Bird sidelined for the Bears’ first-round NCAA Tournament loss to Hawaii, Brown recorded four points and seven turnovers. In 23.1 minutes per game in the regular season, Johnson averaged 8.1 points and 4.2 rebounds for a playoffs-bound Detroit team.