Bruce Brown can be whatever the Indiana Pacers need him to be
The Indiana Pacers officially signed Bruce Brown to a two-year contract on Thursday, bringing the talented free agent to the Circle City. The NBA Champion was introduced to Pacers employees and local media just after 1 p.m. Eastern Time.
"We put up on the board what we are really looking for in a player. And wrote up toughness, competitive spirit, defensive abilities. We looked at players who could play multiple positions" Pacers President of Basketball Operations Kevin Pritchard said when describing the process that led to Indiana pursuing Brown. "Bruce's name just kept coming to the top."
Brown instantly fills many holes on the Pacers. He provides the roster with another shot creator, cutter, and transition threat on offense while being one of the best point of attack defenders on the perimeter in the league. For a franchise that knew it must improve on defense, Brown is a great fit with the Pacers.
The wing/guard hybrid averaged 11.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game for the Denver Nuggets last season. He was a vital postseason piece for the eventual title winners, scoring 12 points per game in the playoffs and making several crucial plays.
He declined his player option with Denver just before the NBA Draft, meaning he would become a free agent this offseason. The Pacers, for many of the reasons Pritchard noted above, were interested, and the Nuggets didn't have the resources to keep him.
Thankfully for Indiana, Brown was also interested in joining forces. "It was easy. I had two calls when free agency opened, the Pacers were my second call. It was a done deal from there," Brown said. "I just think it's a perfect fit," he added later.
The Knicks were Brown's other meeting, and they had the first pitch. But Indiana made more sense for the 26-year old, and he agreed to terms early in the free agency process.
Brown shared that Tyrese Haliburton, the Pacers All-Star guard who signed a contract extension on Thursday, helped recruit him to Indiana. The organization made their case via recruitment, a strong financial commitment, and a pitch based on his fit with the team. Brown climbed aboard.
He is one of the best players who switched markets as a free agent, and the Pacers are thrilled with the signing. He checks a lot of boxes and should be a great fit on the court for a team ready to take a step forward.
"One of the beauties of Bruce's game is he has great diversity as a player. He's played multiple positions, he's played everything from 1-4 in his years in the league so far," Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said."He'll probably play a little bit more conventionally with us... Every night, we know we're gonna have a guy that we can put on the best perimeter player. And he's going to take the challenge and love the challenge."
It's hard to point to which of those traits makes Brown a better fit with the blue and gold — the defense or the malleability. Indiana has a lot of depth at the off-ball guard/wing spots, so being able to place Brown in many roles will help the group be more versatile. There are countless lineups he could be a part of.
He will also boost their defense significantly. The Pacers allowed far too many easy drives this past season and finished the campaign with the league's fifth-worst defensive rating. Brown should help on the less glamorous end of the floor.
Nov 9, 2022; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) shoots the ball while Denver Nuggets forward Bruce Brown (11) defends in the first quarter at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Haliburton recognized all of these things, especially since he had an extra focus on this year's NBA playoffs. Brown shined in that setting, and Haliburton wanted him on the Pacers.
The front office has recognized Haliburton's recruiting abilities throughout the years, and those skills were once again important in getting Brown to Indiana. "I gave him a call. I started on my little elevator pitch," Haliburton said of his efforts to get Brown to Indiana. Brown cut Haliburton off to let him know that he sees the fit and thinks it would be awesome to play alongside the All-Star.
"He's just like that ultimate glue guy. He can play four positions... I think we have a lot of guys that are going to learn from him," Haliburton said of his new teammate.
At every turn, the Pacers made it clear that part of Brown's fit with the franchise is that he can fill many roles. From emergency point guard to small-ball four to energy wing, the newest Pacer can do it all capably. That will matter a ton as the team looks to win more games next season.
Brown noted that Haliburton detailed the way that Indiana plays, and the way they get up and down, in the recruiting pitch. Brown is a strong transition player who had a 70.7% effective field goal percentage in the open floor last year, so he should fit in well. Carlisle is excited about that particular part of Brown's game.
But Brown feels as if his biggest asset to his new team will be his defense. "Defense. I'm a defender, that's how I got in the league, that's how I've played a lot in the league," he said when asked how he can help the blue and gold. "So just trying to come in and help. Guard the best offensive player."
In the postseason, Denver's defensive rating was nearly four points per 100 possessions better with Brown on the court than on the bench. In the regular season, the opposite was true, but Brown mostly played with porous Nuggets' second units, and yet those lineups still defended well.
Denver players congratulated Brown on his new deal. They all know how much he meant to the team last year.
Now, he brings those traits to Indiana. He doesn't know much about the state yet, just that the Indy 500 and the Indianapolis Colts are there. And he only has a past relationship with Jordan Nwora among all Pacers players. But as a defender, and a versatile glue guy, he is a fantastic fit and will learn his way around in no time.
"I don't care if I start, I don't care if I come off the bench. That's not a big thing to me," Brown shared.
That's exactly why he will be a boon for the blue and gold. He can play multiple positions, and he can guard guys who are bigger than him. Bruce Brown will fill many holes and do the dirty work for the Indiana Pacers, and his biggest asset to the team is being able to be whatever they need him to be.
- Source: Indiana Pacers sign Bruce Brown to two-year contract in NBA Free Agency. CLICK HERE.
- Report: Tyrese Haliburton to sign five-year, $260 million contract extension with the Indiana Pacers. CLICK HERE.
- Jarace Walker's high school program director breaks down the Pacers' lottery pick's growth. CLICK HERE.
- Report: Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks agree on a trade to send Obi Toppin to Pacers. CLICK HERE.
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