After playing four seasons at Michigan State, forward Gabe Brown has declared for the upcoming 2022 NBA Draft. Since then, Brown has taken part in the NBA G League Elite Camp and worked out with the Boston Celtics. Workouts with other teams are scheduled, as the forward explores his possibilities for a future in the league.
Gabe Brown 2022 NBA Draft Profile
College Career
In his senior season at Michigan State, Brown started every game and lead the team in scoring with 11.6 points. Besides that, he also averaged 3.8 rebounds, shot 42.8% on field goals and 89.4% from the free throw line.
After continuously improving from season to season, Brown played in the NABC Division 1 College All-Star Game this April. He also took home a couple of awards, including the Battle 4 Atlantis MVP 2022 and a selection to the All-Big Ten Third Team 2022. He also received an honorable mention for the All-Big Ten postseason team.
Strengths
Brown’s biggest strength lies in his shooting ability. He is a great jump shooter and an even more impressive free throw shooter, as the statistics show. Furthermore, Brown is a very athletic and tall player at 6’8”. This makes him dangerous and hard to defend on drives to the basket. When Brown does not have the ball in his hands, he shows good instincts for where to move to get an open three-point shot or a back door cut.
On the defensive end, Brown only averaged 0.3 blocks despite his size. He proved to be a decent perimeter defender, however. Since he decided to stay in college until his senior year, he also has a lot more experience than some of his draft classmates. In the NBA G League Elite Camp scrimmage games, Brown put up decent ten and nine points. His shooting seemed a little bit off, but the forward persisted and showed off his solid scoring ability.
Weaknesses
Brown is a good scorer, but not an elite ball-handler or especially great playmaker. He averaged only 1.1 assists in his senior season, which is not unusual for someone playing his position but could surely be improved.
At times, Brown is a little passive on offense. He can play phenomenal games, but he can also fade away into the background rather quickly. Nevertheless, Brown has the potential to be a solid 3-and-D player and could develop into a decent rotation player in the NBA.
NBA Comparison
One NBA player I think Gabe Brown shows a resemblance to is Grayson Allen. Just like Brown, Allen decided to play in college for four years, which is much longer than many other young players. Allen is now a decent three-and-D player for the Milwaukee Bucks, just like Brown has the potential to be. Both of them also have the ability to be phenomenal, but this comes and goes and is not something coaches and teammates can always rely on.
Draft Projection
Brown will probably be drafted late in the second round. In the Sports Illustrated top 100 prospects list, he is ranked 79. If he ends up not being drafted, there will still be several possibilities for him in the G-League or overseas.
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