Boston Celtics: Making a case for Bryce Brown to join the team in Orlando

As the NBA’s transaction period approaches and rosters set to expand, the best option for the Boston Celtics is the sharpshooting guard, Bryce Brown.

An unfamiliar name among Boston Celtics fans is the exact opposite of what Bryce Brown should be. Better known for his collegiate career, the currently 22-year old guard made a name for himself in the spring of 2019 where he helped lead Auburn to their first Final Four appearance in program history.

The senior was fifth in scoring in the SEC that season averaging 15.9 points a game on 44% shooting (Grant Williams was first in SEC scoring that year just to put that out there). Brown also shot 41 percent from deep on 8.6 attempts a game (!!), which leads us perfectly into the main premise of this article. Brown was a 2x Second-team All-SEC player in 2018 and 2019 as well as the 2019 SEC Tournament MVP.

After going undrafted in the 2019 NBA Draft, Brown was invited to play for the Sacramento Kings in the Summer League. Following the conclusion of the Summer League, Brown was signed by the Maine Red Claws, the Celtics G-League affiliate.

It was confirmed yesterday by Shams Charania of The Athletic that rosters will expand to 17 players for the remainder of the season as a result of the upcoming transaction period. The main reason for that idea is that teams have the flexibility and extra guys in case a player gets injured or tests positive for the coronavirus.

Ever since the rumors began swirling about an expanded roster, Bryce Brown has been at the very top of my list to join the Celtics for the remainder of the season.

And while I fully understand how interesting and tempting it is to discuss the possibility of players such as Jamal Crawford, JR Smith, or even the beloved Isaiah Thomas joining the C’s, it seems as if those are all pretty unlikely hypotheticals. If Danny Ainge and the front office really wanted to bring in any of these veteran free-agents, I don’t think it would take a pandemic to make them finally pull the trigger.

Although it will likely be the current two-way players, Tacko Fall and Tremont Waters that fill out the roster, Bryce Brown is a dark horse candidate and needs to be in heavy consideration to make the roster.

Unfortunately, the remainder of the G-League season was canceled, but that doesn’t change the fact that Brown had a phenomenal season. In 34 games with the Red Claws, the 6’3″ guard averaged 16 points per game on 44 percent shooting, nearly identical to what he produced at Auburn. Yeah, he tore it up in Maine.

The 3-point shooting is what sticks out the most. Brown shot 42 percent from deep this year for Maine on 8.7 attempts a game, almost identical to his numbers at Auburn, which is just unreal. To put that into perspective, take a guess as to what NBA player has the *exact same* three-point shooting numbers as Brown this season.

I’ll give you a clue. It’s a player that 99 percent of Boston Celtics fans were dying to acquire back at the Trade Deadline.

If your answer was Washington’s Davis Bertans, you would be correct. Crazy, right?

Sure, one is a top shooter in the NBA and the other is in the G-League. I get that. But players like Bryce and Bertans more likely than not fit in any system they are put in to. I’m not denying that it would be harder for Bryce to get shots off, to run in transition, and simply to just keep the same product in a transfer to the NBA. As a result, the number of attempts would likely take a dip, but his scoring off the bench would help immensely nonetheless.

Boston has struggled all year with finding solid and consistent bench production and Brown might just be the guy to turn that around.

The Boston Celtics have one of the worst scoring benches in the league – second worst to be exact. Averaging just a mere 27.2 points a game, the C’s trail every team but Portland. For a contending team, that is far from ideal. Additionally, the Celtics bench ranks dead last in three-pointers made (2.3), three-pointers attempted (7.3), and are in the bottom four for three-point percentage (31.6%). Again, far from ideal.

The weak bench shines even brighter in big games. For example, and I hate to bring this game up, but in the Boston Celtics loss to the Lakers in February, the Celtics bench accounted for just 11 points. When you see the Lakers bench scored 43 points that game, it’s easy to tell what made the difference in a heartbreaking two-point loss on the road.

So, it isn’t not having a “true center” that is holding the Celtics back. It’s the bench’s inability to provide consistent scoring production in the valuable minutes they play.

To help push this agenda even further, take a look at Brown’s highlights from his astonishing 43-point performance where he set a franchise record by hitting 11 three-pointers. He went 11-11 from deep that game and 15-17 from the floor.

One thing I love of Bryce’s game – one of the many things rather – is his ability to stay in rhythm and in balance on all of his shots, specifically on his threes. Whether he is running in transition, coming off of a screen, or even shooting off the dribble, Brown does a phenomenal job at setting his feet each time. His quick, smooth release is a huge help for him, too.

This next game against Kansas in the Round of 32 is a great example of that. Pay extra attention to Brown’s footwork and composure on each shot.

Brown finished with 25 points that game while connecting on seven threes to help knock off Kansas. Notice how he didn’t shoot a single shot that wasn’t in rhythm or off-balance? That ability is exactly why I think he can be just as effective at the NBA level.

To put it simply, the Boston Celtics are going to need the bench to score more points than they have been the entire season. I think 56 games is a good enough sample size to believe that the scarcity of bench scoring will continue in Orlando.

The front office opted to stay quiet at the trade deadline, but with two roster spots set to open up for the transaction period, they must address bench scoring and an in-house option is a perfect solution. Many Boston Celtics players are already familiar with Brown after multiple workouts with the team, and being with the G-League affiliate, so this move makes total sense.

Danny, get Bryce Brown to Boston – or Orlando.