Which Player Compares to Spurs Rookie Malaki Branham?

Malaki Branham averaged 10.2 points for the San Antonio Spurs in his rookie season.

Jeremy Brener | May 10, 2023

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San Antonio Spurs

With the offseason in full swing, there's finally time to sit back and reflect on the season that was.

For San Antonio Spurs rookie Malaki Branham, the organization got its first taste of the No. 20 overall pick. While he had opportunities to play more than he normally would due to injuries, the former Ohio State Buckeyes guard was able to dip his toes in the NBA waters and prove that he might be able to fully submerge himself in the coming seasons.

Branham may not be a superstar in the league, but The Athletic believes he has a future in the NBA.

"Branham has some real craft in ball screens to be able to get away from his man, and I really like the way he attacks closeouts aggressively off the catch," The Athletic writes. "But this season he looked like a better version of Jaylen Nowell long term — a valuable rotation scorer but maybe not quite a starter without some real improvement. The good news? He has a lot of time, and San Antonio should give him some freedom to figure it out."

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Jaylen Nowell may not be a household name, but he is carving out a career for himself. In his fourth season with the Wolves, Nowell had his best year yet, averaging 10.8 points per game as a key contributor off the bench. To compare, Branham averaged 10.2 points per game this season.

If Branham can be a "better version" of Nowell, he should be around the league for a while and have a chance to be part of the next great Spurs team.

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Published May 10, 2023

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.