Detroit Pistons 2021 NBA Draft 2nd round prospects: Michigan’s Chaundee Brown
Michigan’s Chaundee Brown could help the Detroit Pistons. Here is how
To be clear, I am arguing for Chaundee Brown as role player you draft in the second round. Not saying pass on Cade Cunningham to take him.
His shooting splits show a game fit to consistently space the floor AND keep pressure on the rim. This makes Brown an easy plug-and-play guy in any rotation.
Brown’s defense is also stellar. He is a three-position defender, as he has the size and length to guard on the wing and the quickness and lateral movement to hang with point guards.
His defense is what is talked about first and foremost by coach Juwan Hoard and his teamates , and even our friends here at GBM Wolverine.
Brown profiles as the prototypical 3-and-D wing every team needs on their roster.
Brown only started one game for Michigan, as he was their sixth man, which is what I would argue he is. If you are wanting to find the next Malcolm Brogdon, Nikola Jokic, or Isaiah Thomas in the second round, then move on!
While draft prospects don’t always NEED to be starters to be considered draftable, it should be questioned as to why Coach Juwan Howard chose to run out the smaller backcourt of Mike Smith (five foot 11 inches) and Eli Brooks (six feet one inches) instead of slotting Brown in at the 2 guard.
This will cause some to say that Brown has no upside, which I think is unfair but also understandable. As you will see in the next paragraph I know there is one skill he is lacking in that could lead others to believe Brown has almost no offensive game beyond being a shooter. And while his percentage at the rim is stellar, shots at the rim did account for the smallest percentage of his offense at 20.6 percent so there is some evidence to back up the notion Brown is only a shooter.
His free throw percentage this year was low at 69.0 percent. Some might raise an eyebrow to this, but this is an instance where I think you can handwave it as it was the only season in Brown’s four-year college career where he posted under 80.6% from the line.
He also only managed one free throw attempt per game. There were long stretches where he did not even attempt a free throw. I am a big believer in shooters needing to find a rhythm and Brown did finish his final 14 games of the year with a 75.0% clip from the line, so it took him a while to find his rhythm.