8. Jaylen Brown – California
This isn’t just your average 6’7 forward from Marietta, Edwards is yet another highly regarded prospect who starred at the college level for a very brief amount of time. Brown trekked across the country to play under Cuonzo Martin at California, spending just 2015-16 with the Golden Bears. The five-star recruit was highly regarded for his athleticism and arrived in Berkeley expecting to lead California to some pretty high heights.
Across his freshman season, the only one he spent in the college game, Brown averaged 14.6 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. He had a tremendous impact on a team that had other NBA talent, including a 27-point effort against Utah and a 16-point, 10-rebound effort in a late-season win over UCLA. Unfortunately, the Golden Bears’ season sputtered at the end, flaming out in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament with an upset loss to Hawaii.
Despite the team’s late failings, Brown had a tremendous impact and was rewarded as the Pac-12 Rookie of the Year, while also being named to the All-Pac-12 First Team. He helped lead the Golden Bears to their most recent trip to the Big Dance while also putting up some pretty solid numbers on the west coast. Brown was drafted with the 3rd pick by the Boston Celtics and has blossomed into a star in the NBA across the last six seasons, including a trip to the NBA Finals this past June.