In a sign of the increased compensation infiltrating college basketball, a significant prospect has passed on the NBA Draft to stay in college for the first time in a few years.
UConn freshman Braylon Mullins — a potential lottery pick in the 2026 NBA Draft — passed on the NBA for a year and will return for his sophomore season with the Huskies, he announced Saturday on Instagram. With the 6-foot-6 wing slated to return and a massive transfer portal haul in tow, Dan Hurley’s Huskies are set to be ranked in the top-five in preseason polls for the 2026-27 season.
On the surface, Mullins’ 12 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game don’t look like the stats of a surefire one-and-done player. However, NBA sources on the scouting side — who were granted anonymity to speak freely about their opinions on potential selections — saw Mullins as a lock to be selected in the top-25 picks of the 2026 NBA Draft had he declared, and noted that they saw significant potential for him to move up the board as the process wore on due to his elite shooting and off-ball movement ability. With the 2026 NBA Draft looking wide open after the top 10, Mullins was one of the players scouts pinpointed as possessing upside to be selected in the next group.
Additionally, multiple mitigating factors affected his performance at UConn this year, allowing scouts to look beyond the numbers and still be enthusiastic about selecting him early if he had declared. First, Mullins dealt with multiple ailments throughout the season, including a preseason ankle injury that sidelined him for six weeks and cost him the first six games. He also suffered a concussion against Villanova in late January, which cost him another game. Additionally, UConn plays a very egalitarian offense under Hurley, making for five double-digit scorers this past season.
Yet, ultimately, it was Mullins’ confidence and flair for the dramatic that pushed UConn through to the Final Four, as he drilled a 35-footer in the final second against Duke in the Elite 8 to cap a 19-point comeback win. It was an all-time NCAA Tournament moment, and would have provided a perfect moment for Mullins to make UConn history even if he had decided to end his time in Storrs. Then, he capped it off with a 15-point performance against Illinois in the Final Four, drilling four 3s.
However, instead of making that performance his lone Tournament appearance, the Indiana native will return and join Solo Ball and Silas Demary Jr. as returning starters along Hurley’s perimeter, comprising a trio that should be among the sport’s best backcourts. Additionally, the Huskies have added one of the best bigs in the transfer portal, Seton Hall rising sophomore Najai Hines, to replace Tarris Reed Jr. They will also see the return of important rising senior 3-and-D wing Jayden Ross, add a pair of terrific incoming freshman wings in Colben Landrew and Junior County, and added Duke rising sophomore wing Nik Khamenia from the transfer portal.
But even with one of the most experienced groups in the country returning on the perimeter, it’ll be Mullins who will be expected to lead the way for the Huskies as he takes another offseason to work on his skinny 196-pound frame. That was the biggest piece of feedback from NBA scouts that Mullins needed to work on this cycle. His hand-eye coordination and defensive motor give him potential, but he struggled to hold his line on that end of the court due to his lack of physicality. That, along with improved jump shooting and more consistent passing to his teammates, will give Mullins every opportunity to be a lottery pick in 2027, and that’s where he will be projected in early 2027 mocks.