Video Timestamps:
0:00 What makes Braylon Mullins special
4:32 Hustle, Effort and Rebounding
7:05 Cutting
7:53 Where he needs to improve offensively
9:42 Struggles to finish at the rim
11:10 Klay Thompson film
12:22 Gradey Dick film
13:15 Mullins’ runner
15:45 Transition 3-pointers (42% FG)
17:40 Free throws
18:14 Defense
23:15 Closing thoughts
Braylon Mullins — 6’6″, 196 lbs
Sophomore • 20 years old • Shooting Guard • UConn
NBA Draft Projection: Top-8 Pick — Top-3 Potential | Elite Movement Shooter. Can He Become a Complete Offensive Player?
NBA Comps (surface-level by nature and not predictive): JJ Reddick, Tyler Herro, some version of Klay Thompson, Gradey Dick
Scouting Report and Outlook: Braylon Mullins is a 6’6″ shooting guard prospect who, as a rising sophomore, has lottery-pick ability as a movement shooter and cutter. He has a quick release, deep range, good size, and relentless off-ball movement to relocate for jump shots. He averaged 12 points per game in 28.3 minutes as a freshman while attempting 6.5 three-pointers per game, and his shooting ability shows up in a variety of ways. He shot 40% on unguarded catch-and-shoot jumpers, 29% on guarded catch-and-shoot jumpers and an impressive 47% on off-the-dribble jumpers. He also shot 41% FG & 53%EFG off screens—on high volume—and 42% on transition 3-pointers, demonstrating how comfortable he is generating shots through movement rather than simply standing around the perimeter.
He’s an impressive shot maker, someone who the defense will need to key in on. Mullins was also effective as a cutter, finishing 14-of-18 (78%) on cutting attempts. This speaks to his understanding of spacing.
He shoots it from deep, competes on both ends, dives for 50-50 balls, rebounds his area, and appears to be a team-first player by virtue of how hard he plays and how he sacrifices his body. This combination of skills gives him consideration as a lottery pick.
But Mullins’ floor game and ball handling need work. He only had 2 isolation possessions as a freshman and never really showed the ability to take his man off the dribble. He was effective as a pick-and-roll ball handler (43% FG), but his offensive profile was much more heavily driven by movement, relocation and quick-strike scoring than by beating defenders off the bounce. That part of his game remains unproven.
He also didn’t finish at the rim with the power and athleticism that you might want to see from an NBA wing.
Mullins needs to handle the ball and make things happen for himself for him to become more than just a shooter. This will be the swing development area for his NBA projection.
Even still, without a proven floor game, Mullins’ demonstrated ability to play at a lightning-quick pace within UConn’s movement-heavy offense lends itself well to the NBA because he’s not simply a spot-up shooter. While Mullins’ does not have the same floor game that, for example, Tyler Herro had at this stage of his career, Mullins’ ability to get shots off in extremely tight windows with a wrist-flick release adds some intrigue and perhaps a worthy floor for what his NBA contribution could be. In other words, Mullin’s ability to constantly move, relocate and operate at a high speed could allow him to create offensive value without needing to become a high-level isolation player.
One particularly interesting indicator of his shot-making ability came late in the shot clock. Mullins shot 50% (10-of-20) on shots taken in the final four seconds of the shot clock, which was the best efficiency among qualifying freshmen in the Power Six conferences. That kind of late-clock shot-making is difficult to manufacture and is another indication of his confidence and shot-making ability.
Defensively, Mullins gets low in a stance and competes, and has shown the ability to block shots and get steals when sticking with his man. But the flip side of his defense is Mullins needs to work on navigating off-ball screens. Too often opponents ran him off off-ball screens to free up someone. Mullins couldn’t chase around screens effectively enough, and it’s definitely something to watch for in his sophomore season.
Overall, as a freshman, Mullins made a number of NBA-caliber jump shots and played with a non-stop motor and competitiveness that positioned him as a lottery pick coming into his sophomore season. The next step is for him to showcase a floor game, a better ability to get downhill and finish at the rim, while continuing to prove that his shooting and movement can translate against increasingly targeted defenses.
