Missouri small forward Kobe Brown staying in 2023 NBA Draft

Missouri small forward Kobe Brown, a projected second-round pick, will be keeping his name in the 2023 NBA Draft, sources told CBS Sports on Wednesday afternoon. Matt Norlander revealed the announcement on his Twitter acccount.

No single player may have benefitted more from the Dennis Gates hiring than Brown. His job in the new coach’s system was tough; since Gates likes spreading out the court with four or five three-point shooters, the 6-foot-7 Brown was asked to play center, anchor rebounding efforts and shoot the three. Well, he did it all.

Brown leapt up to 15.8 points and 6.4 rebounds per game this year, while shooting 45.5% from three and nearly 60% from two. With his size and frame plus the shooting and positional versatility he showed as a senior, Kobe Brown went from draft dreamer to legitimate prospect. A real story of player development at the college level. As a junior, Brown averaged 12.5 points and 7.6 rebounds per game.

In high school basketball, he played for Lee High School (Huntsville, Alabama). He was rated as the No. 182 overall prospect and a three-star recruit, according to the On3 Industry Rankings for the 2019 cycle.

Kobe Brown makes his decision, more on the 2023 NBA Draft

The 2023 NBA Draft is set to take place on Thursday, June 22, 2023, in Brooklyn at Barclays Center. Round 1 of the draft will be announced by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, while Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum is expected to handle the second round of picks.

To be eligible for the NBA Draft, players must be at least 19 years in age during the calendar year that the draft is held and at least one NBA season from their high school graduation date, or the date that would have been if they are not graduated. It is not required that player spend that one year playing college basketball, though. Players can play in either college, abroad, or the G League Ignite if they choose so.

While this is a significant change from what the rules once were, players are eligible to enter their names into the NBA Draft pool and explore their options by hiring an agent to go through the process, while still keeping their college eligibility. The deadline to make that move is on April 23 beginning at 11:59 p.m. ET. Players have until June 12 at 5 p.m. ET to withdraw their name from the pool and return to college.

The NBA Draft Lottery will be held on May 16, which is also the start of the NBA Conference Finals.

On3’s Alex Weber also contributed to this article.