Jaylen Brown to Cal: Golden Bears Land 5-Star SF Prospect

With Ben Simmons committed to LSU, the college basketball world has been fixated on the decision of 5-star forward Jaylen Brown. On May 1, the nation's third-best recruit announced his intention to attend the University of California:

Gregory Payan/Associated Press

Head coach Cuonzo Martin welcomed Brown to the team on May 4:

"Jaylen is one of the nation’s elite players and we are thrilled he is a Golden Bear,” Martin said via an official announcement on the team's website. “He is a strong, athletic player with a tremendous work ethic. Jaylen has the skill and ability to play four different positions on the floor."   

For most of his recruitment, the Wheeler High School product was expected to choose between the UCLA Bruins and Kentucky Wildcats. 247Sports' Crystal Ball predictions recently gave Kentucky a slight edge (44 percent) over UCLA (41 percent), and no other school had more than a 6 percent chance.

Brown becomes the latest top player to snub Kentucky, as noted by Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv:

Zagoria also provided more details on the decision:

"I will go where I am most comfortable," Brown said in December, per Bob Rathgeber of The News-Press.

Jeff Borzello of ESPN passed along more information on the decision:

Brown will enter Cal viewed as an instant-impact player who is bound for a one-and-done stay before being an NBA lottery pick.

The 6'7" forward is an excellent athlete who uses his developed body and quickness to make plays near the rim. His length has allowed him to move between both forward spots in high school, but he'll likely settle at small forward in college, where the coaching staff will attempt to coax more basketball skill. Like many elite athletes his age, Brown relies heavily on his athleticism to get his shots off.

Brown will need to work on refining his jumper, which can be a bit clunky at times. Given his first-step quickness and leaping ability, Brown is essentially a solid jumper away from being an all-around star.

"He's a great physical specimen and a phenomenal athlete," Clark Francis, a scout, told Rathgeber. "His skills allow him to play above the rim. He gets to the basket and dominates a game."

Landing Brown is undoubtedly a coup for coach Cuonzo Martin. This is a high-profile commitment for a team looking to assert itself as a force to be reckoned with in a wide-open Pac-12.

Brown is good enough that he should wind up being the face of this class. His status as the best high school player in Georgia has never been in question. The likes of Malik Newman and Diamond Stone received more hype as they were brought up during their AAU days, but Brown is a potential collegiate star who could spearhead a deep March run.

It'll be interesting to see just how bright he shines in California.

Recruit star ratings and rankings via 247Sports composite unless otherwise noted.

Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter.