Mizzou’s Clarkson, Brown Could be Drafted Thursday

This year, there’s not nearly the level of talented players with Missouri ties that we’ve seen in recent NBA drafts, when St. Louis-born players such as Bradley Beal, Ben McLemore and Otto Porter have been top-ten picks. There’s still a bit of intrigue, though, as Mizzou guards Jordan Clarkson and Jabari Brown have the chance to be selected.

Clarkson, a 6-foot-5, 193-pound combo guard, played one season with the Tigers after transferring from Tulsa and had a very good season, leading the team in assists and finishing second in scoring with 17.5 points per game. He’s considered to be more of a point guard at the professional level, and his size and shooting ability are considered his greatest strengths. Clarkson, who was ranked 32nd by CBS Sports’ Gary Parrish in his pre-draft rankings, is projected to be a late first-rounder or early second-round pick.

Brown, a 6-foot-5, 214-pound shooting guard, played a season and a half at Mizzou after transferring from Oregon. After leading the Tigers in scoring during conference play in 2012-13, he led the SEC in scoring in 2013-14 with 19.9 points per game. As a prospect, he’s seen as a very good shooter who needs to improve his defense. Brown is ranked 49th by Parrish and is projected to be picked in the middle of the second round.

Though none of them have been on the draft radar, other draft-eligible players with St. Louis ties include Illinois’s Joseph Bertrand and Jon Okey and SLU’s Jordair Jett, Mike McCall, Rob Loe and Jake Barnett. The NBA Draft takes place Thursday night in New York City.