welcome to us lakers Season preview series! Over the next few weeks, I’ll be writing a column during the week breaking down the biggest questions we have about every player the Lakers have added this offseason. Today, Troy Brown Jr.
The Lakers are coveted for a 3-and-D wing with few significant assets to acquire and entered this offseason on a mission. And despite spending the most chips on his 6’4 guard, who has a reputation as an inconsistent 3-point shooter defender (at best) in Lonnie Walker IV, they’re a potentially viable pair of contenders. was able to track down the wing and fill his rotation. .
Juan Toscano-Anderson and Troy Brown Jr. have their own set of slightly different strengths and weaknesses, but could compete for the same set of wing minutes.
After four seasons with the Wizards and Bulls, Brown comes to the Lakers on a veteran minimum deal. And despite entering the season with arguably the least reliable NBA résumé of the three, Brown’s specific skill set best matches what the Lakers need for his position. there’s a possibility that.
What is his best case scenario?
If all goes well, Troy Brown Jr. could be the better shooter between himself and the JTA, making him a cleaner fit alongside the Lakers’ other presumed starters. , he shot from a career-high 35.3% distance for the second-most total attempts in a season. That mark is just 10 minutes above the league average, but At least two ticks ahead of last season’s JTA (32.2%).He’s not exactly a sniper from long range, but Brown has shot enough in recent seasons that keeping him wide open over the arc allows the defense to pay the price. I was.
On the other side of the ball, Brown is rated as a better-than-average boundary stopper.according to B Ball index, Brown was in the league’s top quarter as an on-ball perimeter defender and chaser. Two skills that the Lakers are likely to rely on. His minutes usually played against the opposing team’s bench unit, but he was successfully acquitted against various outside scorers. He doesn’t fly off the screen like a world-class mover, but his 6’11-inch wingspan allows him to hang out with players who surpass him in terms of agility and explosive power.
What is his worst case scenario?
The biggest concern about Brown’s potential to slide smoothly alongside the Lakers’ anticipated offensive road bearers is the fact that he still hasn’t cracked the heavy-minute road rotation consistently over four seasons with a medium-sized team. .
Despite posting his best shots last season, he’s still a career 33.7% 3-point shooter. That mediocre mark was better than a bunch of regulars like Austin Reeves, Russell Westbrook and Anthony Davis, but an off-ball that made the defense think twice about keeping him open. If he can’t knock down open threes in an above-league-average clip, he might not do much for the Lakers, other than eating up a few minutes in garbage time. .
And while he’s mathematically ahead of Brown on defense, his competitive quality and his limited runs are cause for concern. It’s hard to know exactly how Brown’s lack of bursting will fare against the NBA’s premier wing scorer unless he turns into a wicket against a cutthroat opponent. He becomes unable to stay on the floor when it matters.
Brown’s recent showing is perhaps his most devastating, failing to step up in past playoffs for a Bulls team that was in desperate need of wing help. At the time, Brown made only 2 of 11 3s and posted a net rating of minus 1.3 in about 37 minutes of burnout (although his team finished 70 in all three games combined). lost by points). For the 23-year-old Brown, whose contract is expiring, failing to get wing time for a team he arguably needed meant a missed opportunity to increase his stake on the open market.
What is his most likely role on the team?
At just 23 years old, there could be a fully formed and accomplished player within the rough outlines Troy Brown Jr. has sketched for some of the previous four NBA seasons. But he’s not a Rock who sees only a small amount of playing time early in the season. Still, without much competition on the wings of the roster, especially after Stanley Johnson leaves, Brown will have a chance to make an impact.
The opportunity will inevitably come, but time will tell how well he can make the most of it.
Cooper is a lifelong Lakers fan. Yankees At SB Nation’s Pinstripe Alley — no, he’s not a Cowboys fan either.you can hear him at Lakers Multiverse Podcast find him on twitter @ Cooper Halpern.
