Bruce Brown had his worst game shooting the ball in the NBA Summer League as the Detroit Pistons were eliminated by the Los Angeles Lakers in the tournament quarterfinals.
Bruce Brown was three of 17 from the field and missed all six of his three-point attempts as the Pistons got whacked 101-78 by the Lakers. Brown slightly made up for the wretched night from the floor as he made all five of his free throws and continued his stellar all-around game.
Brown had six rebounds, one offensively, four assists and three steals in 33 minutes. The former Hurricane started at off-guard for Detroit. The Pistons other 2019 drafted rookie Khyri Thomas from Creighton did not play on Sunday.
The Pistons trailed 33-14 at the end of the first quarter. They never got closer than ten a few times in the second quarter. Detroit trailed by at least 15 for most of the second half.
Prior to his performance on Sunday, Brown was averaging 12 points per game, 7.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.40 steals and 0.60 blocks. He continued to shoot the ball poorly in Las Vegas as he had done for the Hurricanes in 2017-18.
8 Points, 9 Seconds
Brown was 18 of 56 from the floor for 32 percent during Detroit’s first five summer league games. That number will drop significantly after the three for 17 performance on Sunday.
Brown will receive about two months off before the Pistons begin training camp in September. On a team that lacked quality guard depth in 2017-18, Brown should get plenty of chances to prove himself in the preseason.
The only spot that seems to be secured in Detroit’s backcourt is likely to be point guard Reggie Jackson. Jackson played in only 45 games last season after suffering a severe ankle sprain in December. Second-year guard Luke Kennard from Duke is likely to get the first shot at being the starting off-guard.
Kennard and Brown played against each other twice in 2016-17 when Brown was a Hurricanes Freshman and Kennard a Blue Devils Sophomore. Duke needed a big second-half comeback to defeat the Hurricanes in Durham in the first game. Miami returned the favor with a victory at the Watsco Center.
Duke rallied from a 36-25 halftime deficit to defeat Miami 70-58 in the first game. The Blue Devils outscored UM 45-22 to earn the victory. Kennard had 11 points and five rebounds for Duke. He shot just three of eight from the floor and made one of his three three-point shots.
Brown had 16 points, six rebounds, two assists and a block for the Hurricanes. His all-around game has almost always been there. In the second meeting, Brown almost single-handedly willed Miami to victory.
In the Hurricanes last home game of 2017, Brown made sure Davon Reed and Kamari Murphy finished their Miami careers as winners at home. Brown was the only Hurricanes player in double figures. He scorched Duke for 25 points, four rebounds, one offensive, four assists, two steals and two blocks.
Brown was 11-of-18 from the floor, split his two three-point attempts and made both of his free throws. Kennard was one of two Blue Devils that played 40 minutes in their 55-50 loss. He scored 16 points but it took him a high volume of shots to get there.
Kennard was six of 20 from the floor, two of six from three and two of three from the line. He also had six rebounds, one assist, two steals and a block. It’s a good insight into how these two that are now teammates have competed against each other.
Kennard and Thomas are likely going to Brown’s biggest competition for playing time. Detroit needs Jackson to stay healthy and on the floor to be successful this season. The Pistons missed the playoffs by four games in 2018.
Next: Bruce Brown leads Pistons into 2nd Round
Detroit has revamped their roster a lot over the last year. Brown is likely going to be a big part of their future. His multi-dimensional game should help Brown have a successful career.