Who I Watched (7/6): Mikel Brown Jr, Jordan Smith Jr
Evaluating the USA prospects in the FIBA Under-19 World Cup final.
I watched the FIBA Under-19 World Cup final — USA vs. Germany — on July 6, 2025.
Here are notes on my two best American players (note: not prospects) at the event:
🇺🇸 Mikel Brown Jr. (USA)
BIRTHDAY: April 3, 2006
BOX SCORE: 12 PTS (2/6 2P, 2/7 3P, 2/2 FT), 2 DREB, 4 AST to 2 TOV, 0 STK, 1 PF in 24 MINS
HEIGHT: 6-foot-5 — 6-foot-4¼ with shoes, 6-foot-7½ wingspan, 181 pounds, per dad
TEAM: Louisville (NCAA)
PREDICTION FOR FUTURE: No. 6-14 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft
Mikel Brown Jr. was probably the USA’s best player at the U-19 World Cup, although I think that the second prospect in this piece had a real case for that, too. The incoming Louisville freshman had a really casual final vs. Germany, though.
Starting with the good, Brown showed off his typically deep range from deep. He can take spot-ups and pull-ups from beyond the three-point line with genuine confidence. The 19-year-old doesn’t jack up shots, either. Brown’s diet makes sense.
His pull-up becomes even more dangerous when leveraged with his downhill speed and finishing package. Brown’s body has really filled out before college, and it was very noticeable in this tournament. He’s certainly grown in stature, but also grown into his frame like his dad long said would happen. At one point in high school, Brown was a rail-thin 135 pounds.
Going forward, I think he has another level of consistency to reach as a finisher. Brown can be too loose around the rim, or just not assertive enough. I’ll be watching how he does at the basket in college very closely against defenders (mostly bigs) with NBA-caliber size, length, and verticality.
This is particularly important if Brown wants to be an on-ball-heavy guard going forward. I think that he can play on- and off-ball, but he can be isocentric if need be. Plus, I wonder if Mikel can add any value on defense. That seems unlikely, largely due to his strength and maybe load on offense.
I’ll also point out that Brown will be a 20-year-old freshman heading into the 2026 draft, which isn’t necessarily a knock but is worth keeping in mind relative to his class’ age.
Name is Christopher Brown Jr. but prefers to be called Mikel (MY-KELL). Father is Chris Brown, who played college basketball at USC Aiken, Tallahassee Community College, and the University of West Florida before also playing in Europe. Mother is Marisela, who played volleyball at St. Petersburg College. Younger brother is Zack. Grandmother is Eva. Was under 140 pounds before transferring to Sunrise Christian Academy. Studies Steph Curry, Darius Garland, Steve Nash, and Chris Paul. Played for Orlando Christian Prep as a freshman. Played for Sunrise Christian Academy (Kansas) as a sophomore. Signed an NIL scholarship deal with Overtime Elite as a junior. Played for the Cold Hearts team, averaging 13.4 PTS, 2.1 REB, 5.4 AST to 2.1 TOV in 28.2 MINS per game. Started really filling out his body that year. Played for DME Academy as a senior. In AAU play, suited up for Team Loaded (NC) on the Adidas circuit. Could've reclassified to the class of 2024. Averaged 29.6 PTS, 2.1 REB, 2.7 AST as a high school senior. Committed to Louisville over an extensive list of offers, becoming Pat Kelsey's first five-star as Cardinals head coach. Already has his own AAU program (Mikel Brown Jr. Elite 3SSB).
🇺🇸 Jordan Smith Jr. (USA | HS c/o 2026)
BIRTHDAY: Sept. 11, 2007
HEIGHT: 6-foot-3
BOX SCORE: 10 PTS (2/2 2P, 2/2 3P, 0/0 FT), 1 OREB, 1 AST to 1 TOV, 1 STL, 0 BLK, 2 PF in 21 MINS
TEAM: Paul VI High School—VA (c/o 2026) / Team Takeover (AAU)
PREDICTION FOR FUTURE: Top 20 pick in the 2027 NBA Draft
Jordan Smith Jr. should’ve been in the U-19 World Cup All-Star Five ahead of AJ Dybantsa or Žak Smrekar.
Dybantsa might be the best basketball prospect alive (his tournament was fine — not great, maybe a tiny bit underwhelming relative to past performances, although nothing to really be concerned about), but that’s how good Smith Jr. was in Switzerland. He was the perfect connector behind the Dybantsa-Mikel Brown one-two punch, and slotted in seamlessly among USA’s starters.
The Paul VI playmaker had a nearly impeccable final. The only blemish was one turnover. Smith Jr. was perfect from the field, finishing plays as a spot-up shooter, in transition, and around the basket. The 17-year-old also made a couple of nice passes in transition. Plus, he was sturdy on defense, as was the case all U-19 World Cup long.
Smith Jr. leaves this event having really boosted his 2027 NBA Draft stock. I’m very unsure about how that draft class will pan out still. My first evaluations indicate that it isn’t very deep, particularly as far as American freshmen are concerned, but I also think that the 2026 draft will leak into 2027 (as 2025 did into 2026).
That’s why my range for Smith Jr. is fairly broad (top 20) at this stage, but there are definitely realistic outcomes where he’s a top 10 pick. It’s just that I think the entire basketball landscape is going through an uncertain moment right now, so I don’t want to get ahead of myself.
Father is Jordan Smith Sr., who played in Washington DC's Goodman Summer Basketball League. Played for St. Jerome Parish as an 8th grader before moving to Paul VI for high school. Dunked as a seventh grader. Actually studied at St. Francis Xavier, but his school didn’t have a team for the 2021-22 season. Was 6-foot-2 as a high school freshman (implies he won’t grow much), starter for Paul VI with D-I offers. Broke his wrist in his freshman postseason. As a sophomore, had offers from Georgetown, Kansas State, Maryland, Providence, Syracuse, Villanova, etc. Grew up watching Houston and Duke (was also teammates with Pat Ngongba and Darren Harris). Watched Kawhi Leonard and Russell Westbrook. In 11 EYBL games with Team Takeover, averaged 19.5 PTS, 7.4 REB, 3.6 AST, 2.3 STL, 0.9 BLK on 56.4 FG% / 59.2 2P% / 36.8 3P% (7/19) / 66.7 FT% (40/60). Averaged 18.9 PTS, 6.4 REB, 4 AST as a junior.