Former Utah State Point Guard Makes NBA Debut
Feb 26, 2026, 9:54 AM | Updated: Feb 27, 2026, 10:14 am
Former Utah State PG Darius Brown II made his NBA debut with the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday, February 24, 2026. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
(Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, Ohio – Two years after going undrafted, former Utah State point guard Darius Brown II made his NBA debut with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The protégé of current Washington Huskies head coach Danny Sprinkle replaced Donovan Mitchell late in a Cavs 109-94 win over the New York Knicks.
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Brown played the final 2:40, grabbing one rebound and missing his only shot attempt.
Former Aggie Sam Merrill struggled in his 21 minutes for Cleveland. The former Bountiful star was 0-of-4 from the field with one rebound and one assist.
About Darius Brown
The Pasadena, California native began his collegiate career with the Cal-State Northridge Matadors.
Brown averaged 9.2 points, 4.6 assists, four rebounds, and 1.5 steals in 130 games with the Matadors before joining Sprinkle at Montana State.
The 6’2″, 190-pound pure point guard was named the 2023 Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year and earned a spot on the All-Big Sky Third Team during his lone season in Montana.
He averaged 11.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and a conference-leading 2.4 steals with the Bobcats.
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐋 🫡
Congrats to @dariusbrownii on signing a two-way contract with the @cavs! #ShowMe x #AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/le90vrKc9i
— USU Men’s Hoops (@USUBasketball) February 20, 2026
Brown followed Sprinkle to Logan for his final season of eligibility and immediately assumed a leadership role with his new school.
He averaged 6.5 assists per game, setting Utah State’s single-season assist record (228) while being named to the MW All-Defensive Team and NABC Second Team All-District 17.
Brown started 35 games, averaging a team-high 36 minutes a night. He scored 12.3 points a night on 44.6 percent from the field and 39.8 percent shooting from deep.
Brown played 49 games with the Charge, Cleveland’s G-League affiliate. He averaged 9.9 points, seven assists, and 2.1 steals while playing 30 minutes a night.
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Brian Preece is a sports.ksl.com insider covering Locals in MLB and the Salt Lake Bees. Follow Brian’s Bees and Beehive baseball coverage here.
