Evening Up His Game

Kedrick Brown is making an impression at the 2002 Shaw's Pro Summer League. Photo By Steve Lipofsky

After an up-and-down rookie campaign, in which DNP-CD’s were mixed-in with several promising starts, as well as brief stints on the Injured List, Kedrick Brown had his highest scoring game in a Celtics uniform thus far when he dropped in 21 points against the Wizards.

Why are 21 points at a summer league a promising sign? With the Celtics facing the loss of as many as four free agents from last year’s roster, there is a possibility that Brown may be asked to step in and fill in minutes at the off-guard/small forward position in 2002-2003.

The fact that Brown filled up the box score with points, rebounds (6) and blocks (2) shows that he is making progress. But despite shooting a respectable 7-for-15 from the field, including 2-of-5 from three-point land, Brown feels he needs to perform more consistently – no matter if it be during the summer league, at practice, or in an NBA regular season game.

He struggled to do that on Tuesday night. He came out of the locker room and shot 1-for-4 in the first quarter, and then followed that up with a 3-for-4 clip in the second quarter – including two straight treys. The second half was a repeat performance, as he missed all three shots in the third frame, but he rebounded to hit 3-of-4 in the final quarter.

“Antoine (Walker) and Paul (Pierce) are going to get doubled and they need someone they can kick it to. I just want to give them a little help. I have no doubt that I can fill that role.

“In my rookie year, it was like three college seasons. They call it hitting the rookie wall. Now I know what to expect, I just want to keep it steady.”

His staggered shooting statistics do not tell the whole truth, however. Brown has a unique basketball past in that he played center for four years in high school. Heeding the advice of his college coach Bruce Stewart, he then moved to the off-guard and small forward spots in his two-year career at Okaloosa-Walton Community College in order to make himself more attractive to NBA scouts.

The Celtics like Brown's intensity under the basket. Photo By Steve Lipofsky

“They try to work with me like they work with Paul Pierce,” said Brown. “Paul can go inside and he can go outside. I played in high school with my back to the basket, when I came here I tried to pull up from the wing, so I kind of lost my post-up game. I have the coaches working hard with me now to get that back and hopefully I will.”

“We have been talking about letting his talent show,” said Celtics Assistant Coach Lester Conner. “Talking about playing on an ‘up’ level. We thought that in practice this week and in the first game he was dipping up and down, like the stock market. But I thought tonight he came out and really played well.

“With him, I expect a lot more than, let’s say Joe Forte. Kedrick had two years at junior college and played center in high school. I expected him to be like this. Tonight, it seemed like he was gradually going up. If he can continue to do that he might be in business.”