How Bruce Brown can help the Indiana Pacers

The Pacers signed Brown to a two-year deal this summer

Bruce Brown was the Indiana Pacers big addition this offseason. The blue and gold quickly came to an agreement with the guard/wing type on a two-year, $45 million contract in free agency. It was a significant investment by the Pacers.

It made a lot of sense for both sides. Brown was excited about the money, he had never made more than $7 million in a season. Now, his salary is three times higher than that. Indiana, meanwhile, was happy to grab a player that has talent and can fill many roles. Both sides got what they wanted.

"It's just a perfect fit. Great offense, and they need a defender," Brown said of joining the Pacers on an ESPN Summer League broadcast in July.

Brown should be able to help the blue and gold in many ways, and it's hard to pick just one as the headliner. His biggest asset might be that he is malleable and can fill several roles. But there are multiple areas that Brown pops statistically and could help him be a nice piece for Indiana.

Few think of Brown as a three-and-D wing, and for good reason. His 35.8 three-point percentage from this past season doesn't exactly jump off the page. But his overall statistical profile does suggest that he is closer to that player archetype than meets the eye.

Only 23 forwards in the NBA shot better than 35% from deep and had a Defensive Box Plus-Minus above 0.6 last season. Brown was one of them. All but one of those players (Robert Covington at 16.2) played at least 20 minutes per game for their team last year, showing how important a player who can defend and shoot, even at average levels, is to team success.

Brown was closer to 30 minutes per game last year for Denver, and he stands out with his other skills. Among those 23 players, for example, the now-Pacers wing ranked 11th with 328 rebounds last season despite being one of the shortest players. Still looking at that group of 23, Brown was sixth in assists, fourth in steals, and fourth in blocks. He might not be considered a three-and-D wing, but in a narrow group of forwards who plausibly have both skills, Brown's well-rounded game stands out.

"We need to find some guys that can do the dirty work, the guys that were gonna embrace being a great defender, that were gonna relish guarding other teams' great scorers," Pacers general manager Chad Buchanan said of Brown in an interview with The Athletic's Mike Vorkunov.

The specifics of Brown's outside shot tell an interesting story. For example, he knocked down just 13.2% of his threes from the left corner with the Nuggets but 51.6% of his triples from the right corner, per NBA.com. When he launched shots from above the break, he knocked down 35.1% of his attempts. There are areas where he appears to be more effective than others.

On catch-and-shoot triples, Brown's accuracy was 37.4% in 2022-23. That number was just 25% on pull-up looks. The 26-year old was open often playing alongside superstar center Nikola Jokic, but he should get high-quality looks playing with Pacers All-Star Tyrese Haliburton. His outside shooting should remain a weapon.

"He's watching me shoot... little things. Just getting on the court, trying to learn his offense," Brown said of his relationship with Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle on the aforementioned ESPN broadcast. He noted that he and Carlisle have talked often about golf, too.

Few would truly consider Brown a three-and-D player. He's a good enough defender to reach that class, but his shooting keeps him out of that group by perception. But he's closer than some give him credit for, and he rounds out his offensive game with solid passing, few turnovers (just 1.5 per game last season), and solid rim finishing (80.2% from 0-3 feet in 2022-23). He has a well-rounded offensive game that could boost the Pacers in many areas.

Indiana Pacers guard Bruce Brown is introduced to the media as he stands between Head Coach Rick Carlisle and President of Basketball Operations Kevin Pritchard in Gainbridge Fieldhouse on July 6, 2023. (Mandatory Photo Credit: AllPacers)

That doesn't even account for his transition game, which is something that most of the Pacers have praised. Brown himself thinks he will fit in well on the open floor, too. He finished in the 85th percentile in transition play last year, and Indiana ranked second in transition frequency this past season. It's a great fit in that way.

Brown's defense is impressive, too. His stats are solid because he does well both on and off the ball.

He's only six-foot-four, but he's got a big frame and quick feet. That allows him to guard multiple positions well and fit in many lineups. The Pacers struggled on defense last season, so that versatility will be important.

In the postseason, Brown toggled between defending guards and forwards during Denver's championship run. He isn't big enough to guard some power forwards, but in general he can hold his own against perimeter players.

And that doesn't even account for his off-ball defense. He's an attentive player with a nose for the ball, and he ranked 32nd in the entire NBA in steal rate last season (1.9%). He can be disruptive even when he isn't defending the ball handler.

His active hands led to 87 steals last year. 35 of them were scooping up loose balls. The other 52 were generated by intercepting passes, and those often led to transition chances. His defensive sense is impressive.

Bruce Brown weakside interceptions pic.twitter.com/6wEXAMMSmJ

— Tony East (@TonyREast) August 10, 2023

There are many ways that Brown will make the Pacers a better team, and that's why Indiana wanted him so bad. They bid a lot to get him, but as Buchanan explained to Vorkunov, they wanted to make sure they could outbid more established teams.

"We also knew that maybe it's a little more than maybe the market would say, but it was the way we as an organization and as a team have to approach free agency sometimes. We got to be a little creative," the general manager said.

There's countless reasons that the Indiana Pacers wanted to pursue Bruce Brown. But the biggest reason is that he's a versatile talent who can help the team in many ways. No matter what he is tasked with doing, he will give the blue and gold a boost.

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