SI also has top 16 defenders, with Gil Brown at #12, interestingly.
It raises something I think would be good for debate — is Gil Brown an NBA draft pick? He’s getting some publicity and ‘draftexpress.com forecasts him being the #23 pick of the draft. Maybe teams will learn from last year about the value of Pitt players, given the evidence that Blair (definitely) and Young (maybe) were steals.

It’d be good for the program if Brown did get drafted. Pitt will get plenty of media coverage and the media will be looking for a more exciting star than Gibbs. So Gil’s likely the guy to get highlighted. If he evens out his play from last year, the stars may align and his draft stock may soar.

link to sportsillustrated.cnn.com

unless he really has a breakout year offensively, I can’t see Gilbert being drafted … however would not be at all surprised to seem him brought in to an NBA camp

NBA Scouts are all about potential and they see Gil as a guy who has a ton of it. They’ve seen him go on scoring streaks and make ridiculously athletic plays. Someone will draft him

there is zero chance of Gilbert Brown being drafted. he’s got to be 23 or 24 by now, so the potential horse has left the barn — in fact, he’s older than a solid percentage of NBA players.

just not much market for 6’5″ guys who don’t handle the ball well or shoot it from deep……I don’t care how good an athlete or defender he is.

I don’t necessarily think an NBA team SHOULD draft him, but I do think its a sure possibility someone WILL.

He’ll be about the same age Young was when drafted. His outside shot is about the same as Young’s. Arguably he’s a better ball handler and better defender.

Comparably, the draft class is weaker this year than the past two years, so the door opens a little. Considering that many NBA’ers believe, in hindsight, Sam should’ve gone earlier in the draft they may be seriously considering Brown.
Im predicting mid-second round, provided the Panthers make it to at least the sweet 16.

Gil will need to show more consistency in his game, something Sam did in both his Junior and Senior years. So, I agree with wbb.

don’t agree with the sam young comparison. sam young made himself into a decent shooter, moving his range further out every year at pitt.

watching gilbert shoot is painful. the wind-up, the ugly release……

plus, there’s a lot of halfcourt in the NBA these days, which doesn’t suit brown’s game.

plenty of leagues to play in, though. he’ll get paid playing somewhere, but it’ll be somewhere you didn’t know they had a league.

Sam’s shot was more consistent. If Gil can prove he’s got a reliable jumpshot, however weird it looks, it’ll be a huge difference. Otherwise, his game doesn’t have any glaring weaknesses. It just doesnt have any meal-ticket attributes either (like Blair’s rebounding, etc).

Gilbert Brown was one of the biggest underachievers in Pitt history and people are talking about the NBA? Goodness.

gil brown will play in the NBA if he has a decent year. There I said it. How hard is it to imagine that he’ll be in the NBA someday. He has the size and athleticism. What else does it take? Goodness, Mark? Why is this hard to believe. He’s got the tools and he’s been a decent player for Pitt. Goodness?

Decent player and athletic is not good enough for the NBA. There are hundreds of such players. You clearly don’t know the level it takes to be in the NBA.

Draft Express has Gilbert as the #23 pick in the 2nd round, not overall.

There are definitely not hundreds of such players who are as physically ready for the NBA now as he is. At 6’6”, he’s right at NBA wing player height and he’s solidly built, physically strong, and a way above average leaper. And he’s got a decent first step. This all makes him a very versatile defender. As the SI blurb says, he’s capable of defending a range of positions because of his size, speed, and athletic ability. He won’t be able to match up with NBA power forwards, but as a perimeter and wing defender, he can be excellent. And his strength and long arms would help him in post-up situations. Offensively, he’s a good off-the-pass shooter. His awkward shooting style at least means he won’t get blocked often. He doesn’t really shoot well off the dribble though. And he’s got a good first step to the basket, but relies too much on tucking the ball in, going strong, and getting to the line. Which is good, but you can’t do that every time. With his athletic ability, it might be better if he can learn to use his left hand more. He goes right way too often when he drives….He’s not a strong ball handler, but I don’t see him getting it swiped away often. Anyway, ballhandling is not going to be something that is going to prevent an athletic wing player from getting into the NBA. It’s going to be his defensive and offensive versatility. He can cover many positions, can shoot, can get to the line, and can finish in transition above the basket. There aren’t really that many players that can do all that.

I don’t think it’s unreasonable at all for him to be on NBA draft “watch” lists at this time. Throughout his career, he’s had some big games and flashes of athletic brilliance in Big East games. It’s not the NBA, but it’s still a high level of basketball. With a strong senior year, I could definitely see him getting looks from the NBA, if not an outside chance of getting drafted.

Silver panther, good point, 23rd in 2nd round not overall.
It’ll interesting to see if he’ll plateau like Young did his final year, or if he’ll take one more step — which might be all it’d take in this draft class. Its not out of the question given how Pitt players typically do improve year to year under Dixon. Having a full season can’t hurt either in terms of establishing his consistency and role on the team — as opposed to last year when the team had to establish roles without him, forcing him to get in where he fit when he returned. Doing these things and stepping his game up just one more step would be huge for Pitt and very well could place him solidly in the 2nd round of the draft. But it’s definitely not certain — he’s borderline draftable, which is why it’s interesting debate.

If Gilbert gets drafted, then it will most certainly be in the second round. Sam Young was twice the player Brown was, and as good of an athlete, with two solid years of stats to prove it. Additionally, he almost took the Panthers to the Final 4. He was fantastic on the big stage and remarkably consistent offensively. He was a Wooden All-American his senior year. Point being, Sam was drafted in the second round because of his age. Gilbert will be approximately the same age as Sam. Unless he has an unprecedented year, then he will struggle to get drafted in the second round.