Bruce Brown Just Gave Knicks a Good Glimpse of His Potential Value

Bruce Brown is one of the wings the Knicks are scouting in training camp. He didn't have the biggest debut with the team, but his second outing with New York showed plenty of good that could make the team consider keeping him around.

Point of attack defense

In my article on each fringe player entering training camp and their positives, no strength has stood out more than Brown’s screen navigation and point-of-attack defense. He displayed that again Thursday night against the Wizards.

If you need a refresher, BBall Index’s metric ranks last year’s Bruce Brown as the second-best screen navigator on the roster, behind only Jose Alvarado. He does a great job getting skinny and staying in front of handlers without fouling.

His lateral athleticism lets him stay with guards, while his solid wingspan gives him the length to recover in these spots and pester handlers.

I love how his hands stay active in these situations, bordering the line on reaching in or gambling too much. He uses his arm opposite the ball to guide himself through the action and get into the body without fouling. He almost carves a lane for himself through the screen by this action. Then his recovery ability takes over.

He won’t turn parallel, foul the handler, or fall behind. Instead, he takes a deep first step and meets the driver at his target spot.

His chasing reps have also impressed, showing a level of detail. He turns and gets his hands on the offensive player before navigating over the screen. Brown hustles defensively and leans on that effort as his calling card to earn a roster spot, and he has certainly done his part so far.

Passing and handling

A quality that made Brown a reliable sixth man on the championship Denver Nuggets was not only his ability to play along-side Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, but to act as an extra handler and facilitator. He resembles Josh Hart in the sense that he can make decisions off ball-screens, and coaches have trust in him to play in the slot.

New York set up a pinch-post rep for him during the Washington game and Brown sprinted to get the ball back. That can translate well to the Knicks' offense this season, since quick decisions off the ball in these scenarios are of high importance.

Take another possession where he reads the weak-side helper and collapses the defense to make a play.

Brown profiles as a connecting wing with handling chops, and he can pressure the surrounding defense despite lacking an elite three-point shot. I also see potential for him to fit the scheme as a cutter and off-ball player, given his time in Denver around Jokic. That system shares a similar philosophy to create space for others/the big and get on and off the ball quickly.

Adding Brown to the main roster will likely require a subsequent move, but the extra veteran depth at this spot could justify it, especially compared to a player like Pacome Dadiet. The Knicks must roster a third center, so say they move on from Dadiet and simply dump on him another team to open up financial resources and free up another roster spot.

That opens the door for Brown, who continues to flash translatable NBA skill the defending champs may find useful throughout this upcoming campaign.

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