On Thursday, Cal freshman Jaylen Brown announced his decision to enter the 2016 NBA Draft. The atmosphere in the Haas Pavilion Club Room was very positive and upbeat. It was a happy occasion for Brown, his teammates, his coaches, friends, and family. In addition, Brown had professors and youth from the community come out to show their support.

“The journey here at Cal has been nothing short of great. I’m surrounded by so much support. The people here have been tremendous. I’ve grown so much since I’ve been here. My teammates are some of my brothers, basically. We started history here. First team to go 18-0 at home since 1956. They can never take that from us.”

For Brown, this was about more than just the NBA. It was about recognizing the positive influence that Cal has had on him and all the people who have helped him grow during this last year. He made sure to recognize everyone from his coaches and teammates to his professors. He truly exemplifies everything that you would want in a student-athlete at Cal.

About three minutes into his speech, Jaylen Brown then announced that he is entering the 2016 NBA Draft.

“One thing I want people to know about me is that I enjoy learning. I’m a student in the classroom, I’m a student of the game, and I’m a student of life. So, wherever I go I just can’t wait to start that learning process. To learn from the veterans, to learn from the front office people…. I’m extremely excited and I can’t wait to get to whatever team I land on and be a part of that community. Because that’s what it’s about just helping to give back to others. However, I always will be a Golden Bear. I will always be a Golden Bear.”

What stands out to me about Jaylen Brown is his maturity and thoughtfulness. He made it very clear that even though he is going on to the NBA, he isn’t leaving Cal…both in his mind and in his heart. Further, Brown said that he plans to finish his degree. “I’ll definitely be taking classes over the course of the years, trying to finish [my degree] as quickly as possible. I’m not done. I’m continuing my education.”

It’s really refreshing to see a young man like Jaylen Brown care about his education even though he is on the path to making millions of dollars in the NBA. For Jaylen, there’s more to life than the game of basketball and he wants to have as enriching of a life as possible.

Cuonzo Martin was all smiles today as he and Jaylen Brown took to the podium. You could tell that Martin was really happy to see one of his players take such a positive step in their career path. “I’m really happy for Jaylen. I think it’s a great day for Jaylen and his family. Such a wonderful young man. I’ll be 45 years old and I’ve learned a tremendous amount from Jaylen. His humility, his understanding about life, he’s one of those guys off the court that doesn’t want to talk a lot about basketball. He wants to talk about life, education, how to learn, how to grow, and that’s why I think he’ll be very successful not just in basketball, but in life.”

What’s going to make Brown successful in the NBA isn’t just his physical tools. It’s his mentality and work ethic. A lot of talented players wash out of the NBA because they don’t have the right mindset even though they have the talent. Jaylen Brown really does have the whole package in terms of what an NBA team would want in a prospect. He’s got the physical tools, the mentality, and the maturity. He’s going to be one of those NBA rookies who gets right to work, ready for the next challenge.

In terms of what made him make his decision, Brown said, “I just wanted to get all the feedback I could.” After getting that feedback from various people in the NBA, he felt like he was ready to leave school early and compete with the best athletes in the world. Even though he’ll have to go through an even bigger learning curve adjusting to the NBA, Jaylen Brown says he is “looking forward to the experience” and ready to compete against the likes of Chris Paul, Stephen Curry, LeBron James, and Kevin Durant. “I want them all,” he said without any hesitation. Humility and confidence are not mutually exclusive traits and Brown definitely has both.

In terms of what he expects to be most challenging about adjusting to the NBA, Brown says it’ll be the learning curve and going against players that are grown men. He knows that he is young, but at the same time he feels like he ready to take on this new challenge.

Even though it’s hard to see Jaylen Brown move on from his career at Cal, he is definitely making the right decision. I say that because he’s a thoughtful young man who wouldn’t make a decision unless it was the right decision for him. He’s given this serious thought and hasn’t rushed things.

After the press conference, former Cal player Shareef Abdur-Rahim weighed in on Jaylen Brown’s decision. Shareef and Jaylen have been close over the years due to the fact that they both come from the same community in Georgia. Shareef and Jaylen have more in common than just being guys who left for the NBA after their freshman year at Cal. They share a bond united by both their experiences at Cal and their hometown of Marietta, Georgia.

“If his heart is in it, then he’s going to do well. If he’s committed to going, then there’s no reason [for why he shouldn’t go].” Shareef also talked about how impressed he is with how Brown has exemplified what it means to be a student athlete. “He should be the poster boy for really coming to a university and engaging and getting to know people and moving far beyond just the athletic part of it. The whole community: Athletically, academically, socially, I think he’s really immersed himself. He’ll stay connected.”

In terms of what his ceiling is in the NBA, I agree with Cuonzo Martin that he can be a top ten player in the NBA in time. It won’t happen right away as we saw that it took him some time to adjust to the Division 1 level during the first couple months of the season. But, as time went on, he became a dominant force and there’s no reason to think the same won’t happen in the NBA.

Whatever NBA team gets him will be very lucky. There are a lot of NBA teams that could use another versatile wing player that plays well on both ends of the floor, which means he’ll be a great fit anywhere. As far as possible landing spots go, it’s hard to say since the NBA Draft Lottery hasn’t happened yet. However, Utah, Phoenix, Orlando, Denver, Sacramento, and Washington all come to mind as teams that would especially benefit from having an athletic wing like him. It’ll certainly be interesting to see how things go for him in the coming months, where he lands, and how he adjusts to the NBA.

The sky is the limit for Jaylen Brown and Cal is fortunate to have him as a representative of the university for years to come.

Watch the press conference in its entirety below: