Naismith Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown says Emmanuel Mudiay could be the next John Wall, and says numerous NBA teams have called him to discuss the Congolese-American point guard, including the Philadelphia 76ers.
“I look at John and the way he’s evolved and I feel comfortable that Emmanuel is a lot like that,” Brown told SNY.tv by phone on Wednesday.
The 6-foot-4 Wall was the No. 1 pick in the 2010 NBA Draft out of Kentucky, while the 6-5 Mudiay is projected as a top-5 pick in this year’s draft. DraftExpress.com projects Mudiay at No. 4.
Mudiay, who initially signed with SMU before electing to play in China, on Tuesday ended his season with Guangdong of the Chinese Basketball Association. The 6-5 guard went for 15 points, 8 assists, 7 rebounds and 6 turnovers in 44 minutes of Guangdong’s Game 4 loss in the semifinals of the CBA playoffs. Before that game, he hadn’t played since Nov. 23 due to injury.
Now, he is expected to return to the U.S. soon to begin working out for the Draft.
“I think he’s coming back pretty quickly,” Brown said. “I know they all talked to me about running kind of a pro day for him [at SMU]. I’m close to the kid, I’m close to his brother. I’m going to do everything I can to help and be a resource for him.”
The Knicks, Lakers and 76ers are among the NBA’s worst teams, and Brown likes the idea of Mudiay landing in a big market like New York, Los Angeles or Philadelphia, all cities where he used to coach.
“I want to help the kid and I look at the possibilities with L.A, the Knicks, with Philadelphia, there’s some unbelievable major markets with the chance to really make a difference,” Brown said. “I’m just hopeful that he’s around quality people because he’s an extraordinary kid in my mind and an unbelievable talent at a position you can’t put enough emphasis on.”
Brown said numerous teams have already reached out, including the Sixers, who currently own the NBA’s second-worst record behind the Knicks.
“They’ve reached out to me to give them insight,” Brown said of the Sixers. “I’m sure everybody [will] when the time comes.”
Asked about the Knicks, Brown said, “No, but I don’t doubt they will. I’m sure Phil [Jackson] will work hard to try to figure out the best player and he’ll ask for help.”
Brown also compared Mudiay to Nets point guard Deron Williams, and touted Mudiay’s abilities as a defender and rebounder in addition to his skill set in running a ball club.
“I think when Deron Williams was healthy and young [they were similar],” Brown said. “He shot the ball better than Emmanuel but Emmanuel’s shot is not broken. If you’re conscientious, you can become a reasonable shooter if you’re shot’s not broken and his shot is not broken. But he doesn’t need to shoot to be effective because I think he’s pass-first. I think he’s a special defender and I think he’s an elite rebounder.”
Brown said if Mudiay had remained at SMU for this season the Mustangs (23-6) would be among the top couple of teams in the nation. They are currently No. 22 despite not having Mudiay or McDonald’s All-American Keith Frazier, who was ruled academically ineligible in January.
“If [Mudiay] was was with us we’d probably be 2 or 3 in the country,” Brown said. “We might have lost to Gonzaga, but it wouldn’t have surprised me if we had beaten them. I don’t think anybody else would’ve beaten us.
“I think he would’ve had a brand just like [D’Angelo] Russell, [Karl-Anthony] Towns and [Jahlil] Okafor are doing. All these young guys are playing extraordinarily well. I think Emmanuel’s story would be as big as any story in basketball right now.”
Asked if he would take Mudiay with the No. 1 pick in the draft if he were in that position, Brown said Mudiay should be in that conversation.
“When he said he was coming here I felt that we would have a legitimate shot to win an [NCAA] championship and I felt that he would be the No 1 pick in the draft and I haven’t changed in that respect at all,” Brown said.
“I would never hesitate to take him under any circumstance.”
