Detroit Pistons draft: Taking a look at Bruce Brown
By Zac Snyder
The Detroit Pistons selected Miami (FL) guard Bruce Brown with the 42nd pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, but what are they getting with him?
There wasn’t a whole lot to be excited about as the Detroit Pistons entered the 2018 NBA Draft. Their first round pick was sent to the Los Angeles Clippers to complete the Blake Griffin deal, leaving with just a single second round pick to work with. What took place didn’t exactly register on the Richter scale but it did bring some intrigue for the future, including the selection of Miami (FL) guard Bruce Brown.
Brown was considered by some analysts to be a fringe first round prospect so getting him the second round represents a nice value play, especially by a team lacking their first round pick. He is definitely not the classic shooting guard considering his struggles from behind the three-point line. Brown shot 31.6% on three-pointers in his two years at Miami, including a disappointing 26.7% as a sophomore.
His shooting may be inconsistent but his strength is his well-rounded game. At 6’5″ with a 6’9″ wingspan, Brown will give the Pistons good size on the perimeter with the ability to use his size, strength and athleticism to get to the basket. That physical profile also helps Brown on the defensive end where he won’t be pushed around and can alter shots with his length.
Returning to school meant another year under the direction of Miami head coach Jim Larranaga, who told the Detroit Free Press this week that he sees Brown’s long-term future at point guard:
"“The more I observed him and evaluated him, the more I realized his long-term potential is really as a point guard,” Larranaga told the Free Press on Monday. “I think he’s going to be a point guard in the NBA.“He makes good decisions. He can guard all different kinds of positions cause of his size, speed, athletic ability and toughness. I think in the NBA everybody likes to switch, I don’t think he’ll have any problem switching on to a bigger player.”"
Point guard wasn’t part of the Pistons’ primary plan when they drafted Brown but it will be interesting to see how much, if at all, they put the ball in his hands during Summer League play next month.
It’s easy to see in the highlights below why Larranaga would see point guard as the spot for Brown. He’s at his best in the halfcourt with the ball in his hands, giving him the ability to attack or use his passing ability to find a teammate.
Brown was one of five named by Jonathan Tjarks on The Ringer as players who probably lost money by not entering last year’s draft. Tjarks had the following to say along with that pick:
"After a breakout freshman season at Miami, Brown came back to school to play his way into the lottery. Instead, he struggled to share the ball with highly touted freshman Lonnie Walker IV, while his 3-point shooting fell off a cliff. After a foot injury prematurely ended his season in January, he became out of sight, out of mind for many NBA talent evaluators."
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Brown was still dealing with the effects of the injury in pre-draft workouts so that likely limited the chances of him being able to work himself back into the first round conversation. Still, someone could have taken him in the late first round and no one would have batted an eye. The Pistons were obviously perfectly happy to have him slide to them with the 42nd pick.