Washington's Terrell Brown Jr., godson of Jason Terry, takes long road to Pacers workout

INDIANAPOLIS — The last few weeks have been a blast and blur for former Washington star Terrell Brown Jr. The 6-3 guard has participated in pre-draft workouts for the Grizzlies, Lakers, Kings, Warriors and most recently the Pacers on Monday with draft night slated for June 23.

He was joined by New Mexico State's Teddy Allen, Michigan State's Max Christie, Washington State's Michael Flowers, Creighton's Alex O'Connell and UCLA's Peyton Watson.

Brown, 24, is projected as a late second-round pick or could go undrafted. As he tries to prove himself to the Pacers, who have the Nos. 6, 31 and 58 picks, and other franchises, he's relied on the mentorship of his godfather, former NBA champion Jason Terry. Brown's parents, Terrell Sr. and Chalayia Jackson, grew up with Terry and his wife, Johnyika.

"It's a wonderful feeling to have him in my corner, just talking to me through all of the workouts, showing teams that I can improve," Brown said. "(He) just keeps giving me confidence more and more. Going into last season, he was like, 'If you average 20 points, you gonna have a lot of interest.' I didn't think it was (possible) at the Pac-12 level, scoring 20 points."

As it turns out, Brown was wrong, and Terry "was right."

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The talented guard averaged 21.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game during the 2021-22 season. Brown had four 30-point outings and was named first team All-Pac-12 to cap off a winding college journey.

Unlike his godfather Terry, who starred at Arizona, Brown wasn't a highly touted recruit. The Seattle native didn't have any Division I scholarship offers after graduating high school in 2016 and initially attended Division II Western Oregon University before returning home one month later after struggling to fit in.

"I knew I was gonna keep playing basketball, but that whole transition was just (about) not settling," Brown said. "I never wanted to sell myself short. I knew that pushing myself to the ultimate goal and dream is to be here in this position (preparing for the NBA Draft). And I knew that taking the easy way out was just settling for something, and I didn't want to settle for something."

Brown didn't play during the 2016-17 season, but the following year he enrolled at Shoreline Community College in Washington, and his career took off. Brown averaged 30.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game to earn a walk-on opportunity at Division I Seattle University, where he was named second-team and first-team All-WAC in 2019 and 2020, respectively.

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He followed in Terry's footsteps by transferring to Arizona for the 2020-21 season and averaged 7.2 points before transferring again to Washington in 2021-22. Back in his home state, Brown's 21.7 points per game ranked seventh in the nation and third among high-major programs.

"I believe it was just the perseverance through it all, always believing in myself," Brown said. "I always go by the slogan, 'Bet on yourself and double down,' and throughout my whole career I kept sticking to the script, working hard. Being the first one in the gym and the last one to leave to the point where last season (Washington assistant coach Will Conroy) told me I couldn't be in the gym after practice."

Brown chuckled as he reflected on Conroy pushing him off of the court, and he laughed again when asked if he can go toe-to-toe with his godfather.

Terry played 19 seasons in the NBA, winning a title with Dallas in 2011 under coach Rick Carlisle, who now coaches the Pacers. He's since joined Carlisle on the sidelines as the coach of Denver's G League affiliate, the Grand Rapids Gold.

"Last time I was with him, he did shoot some 3-pointers. We did do some shooting drills together at the University of Arizona," Brown said. "He still can shoot it, though, but I think right now he ain't playing no defense."'

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Pacers host Jason Terry's godson, Washington star Terrell Brown Jr.