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Troy Brown, 6”7 Forward, Oregon Ducks, 18 Years Old
Troy Brown is a Swiss army knife, a player who can do a little bit of everything on the basketball court. He has the physical tools and basketball IQ to become a good NBA player. He projects to be a two-way player at the next level and could be picked anywhere from the late lottery to the beginning of the second round. A former McDonald’s All-American, Brown was the 13th ranked player in the United States coming out of high school. Brown is a big, strong forward who already has an NBA body. He averaged 11.3 points, 3.6 assists and 6.2 rebounds per game in his lone season at Oregon.
Strengths
A former point guard, Brown has an eye for the extraordinary. Although his assist numbers may not be as gaudy as others, he proved to be a competent playmaker. This was most evident out of post-ups where he found cutters and in pick and roll, often finding open shooters in the corners. Obviously not as good as someone like Lonzo Ball or Ben Simmons, Brown is capable of making similar plays in transition. While he was a bit turnover prone, the fact he can see these advanced passes means he should be able to clean up that part of his game.
He should be able to play both shooting guard and small forward in the NBA because of his size and 6”11 wingspan. As is usually the case with the modern NBA, anyone who can play more than one position is considered valuable. He is an excellent rebounder for his position, grabbing 14% of his teams’ available rebounds. He will also be a valuable defender at the NBA level, able to guard two and maybe even three positions. On defense he is extremely physical and plays with an edge, often getting over screens through sheer determination. He reads the game well, jumping passing lanes and digging in as a help defender. Brown also showed his ability as a one-on-one defender. He was in the 87th percentile as an isolation defender and almost always forced his opponent into taking a tough shot.
HIGHLIGHT | Troy Brown anticipates the Viking pass for a steal and a bucket! #GoDucks pic.twitter.com/MM4QAY1Hzb
— Oregon Men's Basketball (@OregonMBB) December 14, 2017
Weaknesses
Troy Brown’s greatest weakness is his jump=shot. According to NBA.com, Brown got 31% of his attempts on spot-up jumpers. Despite the fact that it was a big part of his game, he only ranked in the 27th percentile on those shots and only shot 29 percent from three. His mechanics are not broken, they are simply inconsistent and his release is slow. This allows defenders to close him down and challenge his shot when it should have been wide open. Brown also does not possess an elite first step or elite handle, relying instead on bullying his way to the rim. This may be problematic at the NBA level.
NBA Projection
Brown is a polarizing player because his skillset is highly valued. But he would have benefited greatly by staying another year at Oregon. He is a bit reminiscent of Evan Turner, a guy who can make plays for others and is dangerous in transition but lacks great speed and has an inconsistent shot. But while Turner can often fall asleep on the defensive end, Brown can come in and be a stopper. He is a valuable bench player for most teams who may even be able to be a primary ball handler in a pinch. He would fit well for a team like Indiana, who have the 23rd pick in the draft.
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