Kansas Jayhawks: Could Brannen Greene Be Headed To The NBA

Kansas Jayhawks sophomore Brannen Greene has been a guy that many have considered a four-year college player. Greene, however, has recently started playing much better than people thought he would coming into the year. Just a few games ago, ESPN analyst Fran Fraschilla mentioned during a broadcast that Greene has been getting an increasing amount of talk amongst NBA general managers and scouts.

Personally, I was shocked by this statement at first. I had never though that Greene had a shot to make it in the NBA. Fraschilla expanded on his earlier comments after Greene caught fire and hit numerous threes in a row, saying that NBA scouts love his size and length, length of his arms, his magnificent shooting ability, and his overall athleticism and quickness. All of which could ultimately improve his defensive game with some coaching.

When you think about it, shooters will ALWAYS have a spot in the NBA as long as there is a three-point arch. Greene really does have NBA-caliber size at 6 foot 7, 215 lbs. (keep in mind, he’s only a sophomore in college), which gives him the advantage of playing either the shooting guard or the small forward positions, as he does for Bill Self at Kansas.

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If Fraschilla is indeed correct, and Greene has a shot to make it to the NBA, many questions arise. How well will Greene’s game translate to the NBA? Is he first round pick worthy? How long will he remain with the Jayhawks in college?

First off, I don’t see Greene leaving for the NBA after this season, as he still has yet to even crack the starting lineup with the Kansas Jayhawks, and honestly would have a pretty tough time making it if he were to leave after just two years in Lawrence.

Greene still has two years left of NCAA eligibility after this season, so it wouldn’t surprise me one bit if he were to stay all four years at Kansas before entering the NBA Draft (if that’s what he decides to do). Greene still has a lot to prove at the college level before any team will be comfortable drafting him with a high selection in the next couple drafts, but I think Bill Self is the perfect coach to get him NBA-ready.

Brannen Greene’s offensive game is very impressive and has improved dramatically from just one season to the next especially his three-point shooting. His defense and ball-handling are what need the most work in his game. He also needs to bulk up, and learn to be a more stout defender from the perimeter to the post, and needs to be able to handle the ball with confidence under pressure.

DraftExpress currently has Greene slotted way outside of the 2015 NBA Draft’s radar, placing him at the #64 slot for college sophomores, noting his lack of defensive ability, toughness, and ball-handling ability as some of his main weaknesses.

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All of these things can be taught and developed under Bill Self and the Kansas Jayhawks’ coaching staff, and I really can see Brannen Greene being an effective NBA player in the long run.

To make an NBA comparison, I would have to say the Warriors’ star Klay Thompson. Thompson and Greene have similar size, both have tremendous shooting abilities, and really have the same skill-set when you look at where Klay was as a sophomore at Washington State.

Thompson has developed into an NBA All-Star, which could make this comparison seem extreme, but if Brannen Greene is really committed to improving his game and can develop a hunger for the defensive end of the floor, he could turn out to be another great Jayhawk in the NBA.

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