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Mullins questions

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Lafayette said:
Not that midseason or 1/3 season predictions matter too much and idk if Matt Powers knows more than Kenny Powers but while we can argue about Braylon’s potential — and by and large the NBA loves potential — this is such a deep class that NIL income becomes relevant for “one more year” vs draft position.

Mullins will rise in these polls as the season goes on but it highly depends on these 60 vs his rise so way too many variables.

Also since when is comparing players to former players a bad thing? NBA scouts and analysts do that for a living and here we have people calling others stupid for doing this?!?!?!
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This guy puts the work in, and is respected but it’s an unorthodox ranking for sure. Any point here is slam dunking Mullins as some auto lottery pick without him proving it against a historically talented class is pure comedy, and typical. Then calling other worst posters for not being agreeable to the robotic thinking is childish.

BM is a very good prospect - he’s not elite. He doesn’t have elite size, he is a very good athlete. His prized asset is his long distance shooting. With all the options out there this year, he’s not gonna be granted an automatic entry into the lottery without proving it and because Dan Hurley and Navery said so.
 
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Gurleyman said:
Mullins has only played in 7 games -10 minutes in his debut on a minutes restriction and another one in immediate deep foul trouble where he played one minute in the first half. Looking at ppg right now is silly since the abnormally low-minute games skew a small sample size. He hasn’t even gotten into game shape or into a minutes routine yet. Same really for 3pt FG percentage for a guy just getting his legs under him. He missed three threes in his first game and took two deep ones in garbage time against ETBU in his first live action in Gampel. That skews a really small sample size.

People know he can shoot - and in flashes he’s already shown more to his game than Hawkins did, just in terms of different types of shot creation and seeing the floor. Obviously if he’s still averaging 9 ppg on 33 percent shooting from three at the end of the year, he’ll probably be back - but judging him on his stats and his metrics right now, or comparing his production to people who haven’t been hurt, isn’t really useful.
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Exactly. Quoting Evan Mayakawa as a definitive source (efficiency stat) without knowing how those numbers get computed & their limitations is a problem. Mullins’ sample size makes that stat absolutely meaningless especially when you visually look at the play that resulted in those stats like you outlined).
 
thekollieman said:
I take your point in posting this, but CBS ranks him at 20, ESPN and NBDdraftroom both at 10, Tankathon at 8, so on and so forth. Whoever Matt Powers is, he is the outlier in that perspective.
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He's some draft junky that puts a lot of work in, Sam V actually commented to him on Twitter. And yeah, this isn't gospel and another opinion. I mean Richie Saunders is not going in front of Braylon Mullins, so there are a number of cred hits in here. He seems to be going more off pure production today than potential against age.

I'm honestly not sure how valid any of these other sites really are either - they're all opinions, do a lot of following the leader with some tweaks to get clicks. Biggest point here is that there is a ton of talent in this draft.
 
RuffRuff said:
He's some draft junky that puts a lot of work in, Sam V actually commented to him on Twitter. And yeah, this isn't gospel and another opinion. I mean Richie Saunders is not going in front of Braylon Mullins, so there are a number of cred hits in here. He seems to be going more off pure production today than potential against age.

I'm honestly not sure how valid any of these other sites really are either - they're all opinions, do a lot of following the leader with some tweaks to get clicks. Biggest point here is that there is a ton of talent in this draft.
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Agreed on not sure how valid any of them are (aside from what seems to be a consensus top 3 picks). I’ve never gone back and cross referenced the final predictions with how a draft turned out to see how accurate any of them were, other than seeing how UConn guys went because that’s all I’m really checking the predictions for in the first place.

I think Mullins will leave after this year and I’m mostly basing that on McNeeley leaving after last year. But you have a point that maybe McNeeley as an example displays a good reason for Mullins to come back next year. We shall see.
 
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Waquoit said:
Castle is the reigning a ROY, starting and playing at an all-star level on a legit title contender. Maybe one or two of these guys will be as good.
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I think his point is that from a draft position, he would have gone lower. He should have been the first pick in his own draft. No one knows how good a kid is going to be before the draft, they’re assessing on pros/cons and he was coming in with a rep of not having a jumper.
 
To quote a semi recent Avengers movie: “it’s time travel so either it’s all crazy or none of it is”.

Switch time travel to early polls on NBA drafts or likely final 4 teams.
 
thekollieman said:
But you have a point that maybe McNeeley as an example displays a good reason for Mullins to come back next year. We shall see.
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If McNeeley stayed, do you think BM comes to UConn? Would JS or JR have transferred? Best case scenario we had this team plus LM, would be interesting to see who benefits from development and who is held back.
 
Donyell 360 said:
If McNeeley stayed, do you think BM comes to UConn? Would JS or JR have transferred? Best case scenario we had this team plus LM, would be interesting to see who benefits from development and who is held back.
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That’s an interesting question. I imagine from the perspective of JS, his total lack of consideration for transferring was in part based on an understanding that McNeeley would be gone (and same goes for JR perhaps to an even greater degree since he was definitely behind JS in the pecking order). Not sure about Mullins for his timeline of commitment but I imagine he saw himself as a would-be freshman starter wherever he would have committed so it would have affected him too. Nothing but love for Liam, but I’d say it was good for the outcome of this year’s roster that he left. That’s not to say it wouldn’t have turned out great in a different way if he stayed, but I’m very happy with our 9 man rotation as is.
 
The question marks are dumb, I’ll slow it down.

By almost all projections if the season ended today(which it obviously won’t) he’s a projected lottery pick.

There is way too much time and way too much can happen between now and the draft to say definitively he will be one 6-7 months from now.

This isn’t rocket science. No one knows squat about how the draft will play out 7 months before the draft .
 
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KingAG said:
The question marks are dumb, I’ll slow it down.

By almost all projections if the season ended today(which it obviously won’t) he’s a projected lottery pick.

There is way too much time and way too much can happen between now and the draft to say definitively he will be one 6-7 months from now.

This isn’t rocket science. No one knows squat about how the draft will play out 7 months before the draft .
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So you’re saying right now he’s shown enough to be a lottery pick? Like his stock is kinda peaked here at this point in time?
 
RuffRuff said:
So you’re saying right now he’s shown enough to be a lottery pick? Like his stock is kinda peaked here at this point in time?
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Peaked? Why would you say that?

And apparently. All the mock drafts have him there or right on the cusp.

He can play himself out of the lottery(McNeeley). Up in the lottery(Castle). Or solidify his spot in the lottery(Hawkins).

None of us know which will happen.

What we do know is most of the respected prognosticators have him there at the moment.
 
KingAG said:
Peaked? Why would you say that?

And apparently. All the mock drafts have him there or right on the cusp.

He can play himself out of the lottery(McNeeley). Up in the lottery(Castle). Or solidify his spot in the lottery(Hawkins).

None of us know which will happen.

What we do know is most of the respected prognosticators have him there at the moment.
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#16 from Bleacher Report:

#10 from ESPN:
www.espn.com

Updated Top 100 rankings for the 2026 NBA draft: Which top prospects are rising and falling?

Which top prospects shifted the most on our first rankings update? Here's our 100 big board for the 2026 class.
www.espn.com www.espn.com

Not in 1st or 2nd round from NBAdraft.net (but it was done on 12/5 and he had only played 2 games at that point):

NBA Mock Draft - NBADraft.net

Specializing in drafts with top players on the NBA horizon, player profiles, scouting reports, rankings and prospective international recruits.
www.nbadraft.net

#10 from Tankathon:
www.tankathon.com

2026 NBA Mock Draft with Lottery Simulator | Tankathon

Live updating 2026 NBA Mock Draft with lottery simulator and traded picks. Draft order and selections based on team needs are updated after every NBA game.
www.tankathon.com www.tankathon.com

#10 from NBA Draft Room:
nbadraftroom.com

2026 NBA Mock Draft - NBA Draft Room

December Update: Labaron Philon, Kingston Flemings and Braylon Mullins rise the in latest 2026 NBA Mock Draft
nbadraftroom.com

#11 from The Athletic:
www.nytimes.com

2026 NBA mock draft: Darryn Peterson still No. 1 despite Cameron Boozer’s production

Caleb Wilson, Kingston Flemings and Cameron Carr are among the big risers a month into the college basketball season.
www.nytimes.com www.nytimes.com

#8 from No Ceilings:
www.noceilingsnba.com

2026 NBA Mock Draft V.2

The No Ceilings crew puts together their second Mock Draft of the 2026 NBA Draft cycle.
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#18 (Adam Finkelstein) and #13 (Kyle Boone) from CBS Sports:
www.cbssports.com

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#17 from SB Nation:
www.sbnation.com

NBA mock draft 2026: Boozer, Peterson, Dybantsa race for No. 1 pick in updated projection

Here’s our latest NBA mock draft
www.sbnation.com www.sbnation.com
 
KingAG said:
He can play himself out of the lottery(McNeeley). Up in the lottery(Castle). Or solidify his spot in the lottery(Hawkins).

None of us know which will happen.

What we do know is most of the respected prognosticators have him there at the moment.
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Mullins is a Schrodinger's lottery pick at the moment.

He's there in mocks mostly by inertia, HS/AAU tape, and some flashes. Because he hasn't played enough games, and the few games he's played he's been coming off an injury. Judging solely on his UConn college tape, he would not be a lottery pick.

But as you say, the lottery will not happen today. Mocks and big boards coming out right now for most players have a bit more solid ground to make some proclamations about those players, but you just can't with Mullins right now. Those with him still in the lottery are on a more Bayesian slant. Matt Powers' take is more reactive. Either approach is fine, because this isn't written in stone yet.
 
RuffRuff said:
I think his point is that from a draft position, he would have gone lower. He should have been the first pick in his own draft. No one knows how good a kid is going to be before the draft, they’re assessing on pros/cons and he was coming in with a rep of not having a jumper.
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Exactly. Reed Sheppard was taken before him.

It’s not to say he still wouldn’t have turned out to be the best, he just may not have gone top 10 in this crop of players.
 
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Right now BM is a projected lottery pick
At seasons end, who knows
Nobody here or outside the Boneyard are experts on this ridiculous guessing game
No one person knows what every NBA team will need at draft time or how their respective management thinks now vs tomorrow.
Mistakes and misjudgments are made every draft in every sport.
All speculation now is worthless usage of brain cells.
Right now, the general opinion is BM is a lottery pick - right or wrong - thats all we have,
 
auror said:
Mullins is a Schrodinger's lottery pick at the moment.

He's there in mocks mostly by inertia, HS/AAU tape, and some flashes. Because he hasn't played enough games, and the few games he's played he's been coming off an injury. Judging solely on his UConn college tape, he would not be a lottery pick.

But as you say, the lottery will not happen today. Mocks and big boards coming out right now for most players have a bit more solid ground to make some proclamations about those players, but you just can't with Mullins right now. Those with him still in the lottery are on a more Bayesian slant. Matt Powers' take is more reactive. Either approach is fine, because this isn't written in stone yet.
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Finally, some reasonable logic being applied. This is spot on. He's not a lottery pick based on his UConn numbers or tape, anyone projecting him lottery is exactly what auror mentioned. He has to play his way into the lottery, which is likely based on what anyone who knows him believes.

This is a very deep draft with lot's of high end players, many which are playing up the charts. To say he's 100% gone wreaks
 
Donyell 360 said:
If McNeeley stayed, do you think BM comes to UConn? Would JS or JR have transferred? Best case scenario we had this team plus LM, would be interesting to see who benefits from development and who is held back.
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BM is so good we moved to a 3 guard set. Last year Liam was so good he moved to a 3 frontcourt set. Prior we had a 3 guard set of Newton/Castle/Cam with Diarra swapping in.

Liam was also asked to do more guard work due to our PG issues last year but that is an aside.

If Liam stayed Braylon would likely be at Indiana because he would not unseat Solo from the 2 (most likely)

Stewart and Ross would have similar roles in that context and likely would stay.
 
RuffRuff said:
Finally, some reasonable logic being applied. This is spot on. He's not a lottery pick based on his UConn numbers or tape, anyone projecting him lottery is exactly what auror mentioned. He has to play his way into the lottery, which is likely based on what anyone who knows him believes.

This is a very deep draft with lot's of high end players, many which are playing up the charts. To say he's 100% gone wreaks
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I think the disconnect here is you think he needs to be a lottery pick to be gone and everyone arguing the opposite side is saying he's gone no matter where he's projected to go in the 1st round which is why there's such confidence saying he's gone.

He's projected as a lottery pick right now, maybe he plays his way out of the lottery, maybe he doesn't. But it seems pretty unlikely he plays his way entirely out of the 1st round based on what we've seen.
 
navery12 said:
I think the disconnect here is you think he needs to be a lottery pick to be gone and everyone arguing the opposite side is saying he's gone no matter where he's projected to go in the 1st round which is why there's such confidence saying he's gone.

He's projected as a lottery pick right now, maybe he plays his way out of the lottery, maybe he doesn't. But it seems pretty unlikely he plays his way entirely out of the 1st round based on what we've seen.
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100% agree but have to add 100% that money plays into the decision. At some point NIL exceeds rookie contract.
 
navery12 said:
I think the disconnect here is you think he needs to be a lottery pick to be gone and everyone arguing the opposite side is saying he's gone no matter where he's projected to go in the 1st round which is why there's such confidence saying he's gone.

He's projected as a lottery pick right now, maybe he plays his way out of the lottery, maybe he doesn't. But it seems pretty unlikely he plays his way entirely out of the 1st round based on what we've seen.
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Based on what’s been broken down. I think it would be silly for him to come out unnecessarily early if he’s not guaranteed lottery, when there’s so much potential for him to go extremely high next year for multiple reasons.
 
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