2016 NBA Draft: Best perimeter defenders

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Feb 25, 2016; Berkeley, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Isaac Hamilton (10) looks to pass the ball defended by California Golden Bears forward Jaylen Brown (0) during the second half at Haas Pavilion. The California Golden Bears defeated the UCLA Bruins 75-63. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /

4. Jaylen Brown, SF/PF, Cal

California’s Jaylen Brown has all of the necessary physical tools to be an imposing perimeter defender in the NBA. Brown measured in at nearly 6-7 with a 6-11.75 wingspan at the draft combine and is already a mature 223 pounds. That size should give him the ability to spend some time switching onto many of the league’s power forwards while also possessing the lateral quickness to defend shooting guards at the next level.

Brown’s position on this list, though, is largely based on his potential to become a defender with excellent positional flexibility. His college statistics during his lone year at Cal don’t stand out among the best defenders in this class. Despite having good quickness and long arms, Brown averaged just 1.2 steals per 40 minutes as a freshman and finished the season with a steal rate below two percent. He averaged less than one block per 40 minutes as well. Brown did offer up decent rebounding for his position, pulling down 7.8 boards per 40 minutes with a defensive rebound rate of 16.5 percent.

The upside is there for the California freshman to make an impact defensively in the NBA, it’s just a question of him fulfilling the potential that his physical tools afford.

To read more about Jaylen Brown, click here.

Next: 3. Patrick McCaw

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