UConn HC Cites Stephon Castle Timeline for Freshman Guard
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The UConn Huskies are sitting on a 12–1 overall start, a perfect conference mark, and an eight-game streak. In their last matchup, the Huskies faced DePaul and had a 72–54 road win. And one of the reasons for the steadiness and control this season is their freshman guard.
That guard is none other than Braylon Mullins. In a recent press conference, when Hurley was asked about Mullins, he went on to compare him to Huskies' first-round pick, Stephon Castle.
As Hurley puts it, “With Braylon, it’s, uh, if you do a comp on where I guess where Steph was on December 29. If you look at where Steph was on December 29 as a freshman, both men, you know, both of those men dealt with injuries," he said. "Steph really didn’t start to hit his stride until, um, after the new year, and then as January turned to February, February to March, and then, um, then he was a monster."
"So I just think with Braylon right now missing the time, um, you know, he’s going to turn it up, I think, uh, you know, in a similar way to the way Steph did. He’s still trying to figure out the offense, how to use screens, like where to find his opportunities, get to know his teammates. You know, his teammates got to find him, you know, um, because he’s explosive and, we got to get him going," he continued.
Last season, around December, Castle had a knee injury that required a minor procedure, which briefly changed the Huskies' rhythm. However, by January, Castle and the rhythm were both at their best.
Mullins, much like Castle, lost roughly six weeks early after suffering an ankle injury in practice. Like Castle, Mullins returned without the benefit of continuity and in the middle of UConn’s toughest non-conference slate in recent years.
Since returning, Mullins, across seven games, has been brilliant. He’s reached double figures four times, including a 17-point night on the road at Kansas, and followed it with outings against Texas, Butler, and DePaul.
Mullins also has multiple games shooting 50 percent or better from the field, consistent makes off movement, and defensive activity that shows up in steals and rebounds. If he is anything like Castle, this season is yet to start.
Castle, after all, ended his lone season averaging 11.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game, shooting 47.2% from the field across 34 games. While Mullins’ stats remain to be seen, mock drafts put him high.
Braylon Mullins Is Already High on 2026 NBA Draft Boards
Even with the early injury, NBA evaluators haven’t cooled on Mullins. ESPN projects him at No. 13 overall to the Chicago Bulls.
“His excellent 3-point shooting, both off movement and off the bounce, gives him a calling-card skill, plus he's a tough competitor with positional size who can chip in defensively. UConn has historically done well featuring its shooters under Dan Hurley and will need him to make an impact, positioning him for a potential one-and-done season if things go smoothly,” writes ESPN.
Bleacher Report slots Mullins at No. 16 to the Atlanta Hawks. “NBA teams should ultimately see a plug-and-play scorer in Mullins, thanks to his comfort level playing off the ball and shooting skills,” writes Bleacher Report.
Meanwhile, CBS adds another layer, projecting Mullins to the Chicago Bulls at 19. “Adding weapons and floor-spacers to maximize the talents of Josh Giddey, Coby White, and Matas Buzelis seems ideal. Mullins gives them a picture-perfect tool to do that as a shooter who can score from anywhere,” writes CBS.
-fd44250df32912986cc6690f0b8bfa32.png "Shivani Menon")
Shivani Menon is a sports journalist with a background in Mass Communication and a passion for storytelling. She has written for EssentiallySports, College Sports Network, and PFSN, covering Olympic sports like track and field, gymnastics, and alpine skiing, as well as college football, basketball, March Madness, and the NBL Draft. When she's not reporting, she's either on the road chasing sunsets or getting lost in the rhythms of electronic soundscapes.