Every Detroit Pistons’ best game of the 2018-19 season

Bruce Brown

Bruce Brown was the 42nd pick in the second round of the 2018 NBA draft. Players drafted in the second round typically have trouble fighting to remain on an NBA roster. Brown looks like he is going to be one of the anomalies to break that trend. It was a bit of a surprise to Pistons fans that Brown was a starter from day one and the majority of the season.

Fans were hoping that Luke Kennard would be able to take over responsibilities as the starting two guard. While there is certainly an argument that Kennard should be starting over Brown, the fact that Casey has so much trust in Brown as a rookie is indicative of his talent and maturity for his young age. While he didn’t wow Pistons fans with his scoring just yet, what was impressive about Brown was his defense.

His most impressive defensive feat came against the Houston Rockets when Brown was matched up against the former MVP and this season’s runner up MVP, James Harden. Harden was going on a tear this season rattling off 30-, 40-, 50-, and even 60-point games with ease. The rest of the NBA should take notes from Brown as he made Harden look completely foolish. Harden went 0-for-10 while Brown was guarding him that night and the defense alone sparked a big run for the Pistons.

After his rookie season and a strong showing at the summer league in which Brown joined Lonzo Ball as the only players to record a triple double at the event, Brown looks to make a larger impact on the team this upcoming season.

Brown needs to improve his offensive game. He did not look like a confident offensive player his rookie season. He regularly passed up wide open looks in favor of moving the ball to another teammate and when he did shoot the results did not generally end up in points on the scoreboard.

I think that this is bound to change and Brown will eventually round out his offensive game. While Brown did not shoot a high percentage (26 percent from three), his stroke looks pretty good and I would expect with more work and confidence that more of those shots will fall for him.

Brown’s best game of the season came against the Sacramento Kings when he put up 15 points, 2 assists, 1 rebounds, 3 steals, and 1 block.

I expect Brown to come into the upcoming season as the day one starter for the team and to be a slightly more polished offensive player than the player we saw in his rookie season. Right now Brown is looking like an absolute pilfer for the Pistons.

Best Game of Season:

01/10/2019 vs SAC – 15 points / 2 assists / 1 rebound / 3 steals / 1 block (6/11 field goals; 1/3 three pointers; 2/2 free throws)

Other Notable Games:

01/05/2019 vs UTA – 12 points / 7 assists / 3 rebounds (3/7 field goals; 6/6 free throws)

01/19/2019 vs SAC – 6 points / 4 assists / 10 rebounds (2/5 field goals; 1/2 three pointers; 1/2 free throws)