This piece does not reflect the views of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Freshman, G-F, Oregon
College Stats in 2017-18:
35 games, 31.2 MPG, 11.3 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 3.2 APG, 1.6 SPG, 44.4 FG%, 29.1 3P%, 74.3 FT%
Where he’ll go:
Brown will be a first-round pick, but will likely fall out of the lottery.
The Rundown:
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Draymond Green, Ben Simmons, Evan Turner, Lamar Odom, Gordon Hayward. These are players with differing levels of skill and NBA success, but they all share one thing—versatility. Oregon’s Troy Brown has that enticing quality for the modern NBA. He projects as a four-position player in the league, and his facilitating and ball handling skills coupled with his 6’ 7” frame make him a prospect that many teams will take a hard look at.
There are a lot of players that Brown could choose to compare himself to, but one of his choices in a role model has to particularly pique teams’ interest: Andre Iguodala. That’s a tantalizing but also achievable comparison. With a little work, it’s entirely possible that Brown could become a difference-making defender, a killer secondary ball handler, and a tone-setting locker room presence.
“Versatility is one of my biggest things. Just being able to do everything on the court. I understand coming in as a rookie you’re not going to get the great minutes and stuff like that but I feel like I’ll be really productive and efficient with the minutes I get,” he said at the combine.
Brown is young, (he’ll still be 18 when he’s drafted) but he is mature both on and off the court, and he prides himself on getting his teammates involved. He rightly recognizes that if he stays focused, builds on his strengths and improves upon some of his weaknesses, he’ll have a long NBA career.
As is the case with many college players, Brown will need to improve his shooting to maximize his NBA potential. His IQ and ability to move off the ball, as well as his passing prowess, are great attributes, but if he’s unable to stretch the floor, he risks becoming a liability on offense. Brown only shot 29.1 percent from three in college. In his quest for triple-doubles, the hardest part might be the points.
But Brown believes concerns about his shooting are unwarranted.
“I never felt like I couldn’t shoot before and I don’t feel that way now,” he said. “Right now it’s just getting adjusted to the new three-point line, the NBA line. Once I get that locked down I feel like I’ll be really good.”
On the plus side, Brown is by all accounts a really smart and thoughtful kid, and a good worker. He’s the type of player that inspires trust in NBA executives about his ability to improve. His combination of size and skill will allow him to hold his own anywhere from the point guard to power forward positions, and in the small-ball era of the NBA, he could be a Swiss army knife type roster addition that can fill a ton of roles for his team.
Brown also has amazing defensive instincts and is an elite rebounder for his position. He’s not the quickest guy, so he’ll need to improve on that to match up with smaller point guards, but he understands how to play defense, and he’s always in the right position, sniffing out lazy passes and creating fast-break opportunities. NBA coaches are going to love him, and he’s going to cover up a lot of his teammates deficiencies on the defensive end. There will be quite a few teams wanting to bring him aboard.