ESPN analyst weighs in on Braylon Mullins’ NBA decision

Should he stay, or should he go?

Braylon Mullins‘ decision is undoubtedly the most important of the offseason for the UConn men’s basketball team, and college and NBA analysts everywhere are weighing in.

ESPN’s Seth Greenberg had this piece of advice for Mullins: Run your own race.

Asked whether or not Mullins should declare for the draft, Greenberg said while it’s not his decision, he thinks sticking around another year can only help the 19-year-old.

“If I had one bit of advice for Braylon, it’s run your own race. You’re going to get to the finish line. So enjoy where you are and run your own race,” Greenberg told The Courant. “Don’t let anyone pressure you into running a race that you really don’t want to run right now. The NBA’s going to always be there. The NBA’s not going anywhere for that kid. Coming back will only help him.”

Mullins averaged 12.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 28.3 minutes per game as a freshman last season. He shot 42.1 percent from the floor and 33.5 percent from the 3-point line. NBA Draft projections for him are all over the map, with some major outlets slotting him as high as No. 9 and some as low as No. 30.

Still, with his size (6 feet 6) and a shooting stroke that Jim Calhoun has called one of the “prettiest” he’s ever seen (Dan Hurley agrees), Mullins is a wanted man at the next level.

Greenberg said his decision shouldn’t just be about where he’ll go in this year’s draft.

“He knows he’s probably going to be a lottery pick next year,” Greenberg said. “I think you only get a chance to do this one time, college. Maturity has a lot to do with it. Is he mature enough to live an NBA lifestyle? Or does he enjoy being on a college campus and everything that it has to offer, and give himself a chance to get a little stronger and mature to some extent?

“He’s going to be somewhere between (the 14th pick) and probably 25, I would think. He’s going to probably next year be between 4 and 10 (million dollars), so the money could be significantly more next year (at UConn).”

Greenberg said his NBA comp for Mullins would be somewhere between former Utah Jazz guard Jeff Hornacek and Miami Heat star Tyler Herro.

“He’s got to tighten up his handle, but he’s got a middle game, he’s got a runner. He’s a very, very good player. He’s obviously not afraid of the moment. He’s continuing to get his shot off quicker. He could create space off the bounce a little bit more, but he’s a terrific player, and he loves the game. You can see he loves the game.”

Prospects for Karaban, Reed

Greenberg also shared his thoughts on the two Huskies who are guaranteed to be in the June NBA Draft conversation, Alex Karaban and Tarris Reed. Both are considered likely second-round picks.

“Alex is going to be on an NBA roster. You want Alex Karaban in your locker room. You want Alex Karaban on your practice court. You want his winning pedigree. Alex Karaban will find a way to get on the court and to help his team be successful,” Greenberg said.

“You can try to pick him apart, you can say, well he’s older, he’s been in college four years. He’s got a maturity and a sense of purpose and an understanding of who he is and how he wins. He would be an incredible, tremendous asset to any NBA organization.”

“Tarris, you saw him grow. Connecticut wasn’t easy for Tarris. I was there for his first practice at UConn and it was an absolute shock to him. Once he immersed himself and got lost in the program and got lost in the work, you saw him get better day by day by day. He trusted the work. He trusted being pushed and challenged. It became part of his being.

“I think he’s got a legitimate chance to be in the NBA. He can rebound, he can play out of double teams, he can play in the short roll, he’s pretty good at getting angles. He’s not an uber-athlete, but he’s learned to compete at a level that you have to compete at to earn a roster spot in that league. And I wouldn’t have said that two years ago. I might not have said that at the start of this year. But the last three months, you saw a lightbulb go on in his head.”

On Reibe entering portal

Last week, UConn backup center Eric Reibe announced he was entering the transfer portal. Reibe was a highly-rated recruit and figured to at least compete for the starting center spot at UConn next year, which made the move somewhat head-scratching. The seven-footer from Germany averaged 5.9 points in 13.8 minutes per game as a freshman.

“These kids, they have so many voices in their ear. There’s a thing called patience,” Greenberg said. “He’s not going to find a better situation than he had at UConn. He’s getting coached every day, he’s getting challenged every day, he’s around good players. He’s learning the game. He’s in a system where they use bigs to play all over the floor. But unfortunately, and that’s why I go back to run your own race, thee kids have so much static in their ears. There’s so many voices. They’ve got to figure out, what’s the most important voice? And it shouldn’t be dollars and cents. It’s great you want to make money. It shouldn’t be what an agent thinks he should do. It should be what he thinks he should do.

“Most of these agents are going to look for the biggest and best deal because they’re getting 10, 20 percent, instead of the best situation. What’s the best situation for a young man’s development? Where is that track record where most players have gotten better? Is it hard to play at UConn? Yeah, it’s hard to play at UConn. Is there a standard at UConn? Yeah, there’s a standard at UConn. I hate to tell you but if you want to get where you want to go, you’re going to be held to a standard. Because getting where you want to go (the NBA) is the most exclusive club in the world. And there’s only a certain number of spots. And if you think it’s easy? It’s not easy. Just like all these guys thought when they went from high school to college it was easy. It ain’t easy. It takes time, and patience.”