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Lorenzo Brown's Jump Shot Looks Really Good

When the Minnesota Timberwolves traded to acquire Tyus Jones on draft night, many assumed that he would assume back-up point guard responsibilities to Ricky Rubio.

Lorenzo Brown, the only other point guard on the team’s roster, became an afterthought.

Not so fast.

Brown has looked fantastic during Summer League play. He looks composed when running the offense, has excelled in pick and roll situations and most impressively, his jump shot has looked fantastic.

Brown said he’s put in the same amount of work with his jump shot as he normally does in the offseason. Maybe it’s because we weren’t able to see much of his shot last season, as he played sparingly and when he did (after two 10-day contracts), he wasn’t the team’s first, second, third or fourth option to score.

“It’s definitely something I’ve worked on, but definitely something I’ve had,” Brown said. “I mean, there’s been support from other guys pushing me, like Zach and Wig. They’ve been great teammates.”

Last season, he shot 42.6 on the season and just 21.4 percent from the three-point line. This, of course, was a small sample size he had just 28 attempts. The year before with Philadelphia he was just 3-of-30 from deep.

But wait. In 38 D-League games (from 2013-2015), Jones was 45-of-120 from long range, good for 37.5 percent from deep, certainly a respectable number - especially for a point guard.

Brown, who fans mostly remember from playing nearly the entire game against the Cleveland Cavaliers and shutting down Kyrie Irving (Irving shot 4-of-16 on the night) at the Target Center, isn’t known for his offense as much. But in Summer League, that’s changed. In four games, he’s playing 25.5 minutes per game and averaging 13 points, 3.5 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game. He’s shooting a hot 51.5 percent from the field and 37.5 (3-of-8) from deep. If you take out the July 11 loss to the Bulls, Brown is averaging 16 points per game.

Thanks to our friends at the D-League for highlighting Brown’s 17-point performance in the team’s first game (and win) over the Los Angeles Lakers.

"He's playing the game, he's taking what the defense gives him,” Summer League head coach Ryan Saunders said. “He's shooting open shots, I don't think one of his shots were bad shots, and usually when you're just looking for your own shot, you're gonna take a couple of bad shots, so I think he's playing the game at a good pace, at a good rhythm."

At the very least, Brown is capable of being a team’s third point guard. But if he can combine his defense with how efficient he was offensively in Las Vegas, he could find himself forcing Flip Saunders to play him more – something that would be a pleasant surprise for the 2013 second-round pick.