Troy Brown Jr. shows promise in Wizards' loss to Grizzlies originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
Minutes were naturally going to be tougher to come by this season for many holdovers on the Wizards roster. Last season, player development was prioritized over wins and losses, so guys like Troy Brown Jr. were able to play through their mistakes.
This season, the team has more veterans and higher expectations and that has led to a group of guys who used to play quite a bit now not playing much at all. Brown isn't alone, as Jerome Robinson and Isaac Bonga are in the same boat. Moe Wagner was as well not long ago.
Brown got a rare opportunity to play on Wednesday night against the Grizzlies and made the most of it, albeit in a loss. He was summoned off the bench by head coach Scott Brooks as the Wizards trailed by double digits in the second quarter.
They were down by as many as 19 but entered halftime with the deficit cut to five. They would take the lead in the third quarter, only to see it slip away as Memphis ran off with the win.
Brown, however, was a bright spot despite a modest, if well-rounded stat-line of five points, two rebounds, two assists and two blocks in 13 minutes.
"He was active. I've told him and our coaches have told him 'always be ready, don't get ready.' I thought he gave us good minutes," Brooks said.
Brown made a few plays that stuck out in particular. He had a tough and-1 fastbreak layup, plus two impressive assists. On one, he drove baseline and fired a deft bounce pass to Deni Avdija for a corner three. On the other, he misdirected the defense and found Moe Wagner at the basket for an easy two.
The two passes were when Brown was playing as a secondary play-maker and that is noteworthy. He is known for his passing and ball-handling, but hasn't consistently been able to provide that when not playing as a point guard.
When the Wizards drafted him in the first round in 2018, they envisioned him as an off-ball play-maker who could boost ball movement and create for others despite not initiating the offense. So far, that has proven to be easier said than done.
But Brown may be getting the hang of it. When asked about that element of his game, he said he's noticed a few times this season where he has made strides. One was in the second half of their preseason game against the Brooklyn Nets. Another was in Miami when they beat the Heat on Feb. 3. And then there was Wednesday night.
"I feel like I'm capable of it. I have the skills to do that," he said.
Though Brown played well on Wednesday, that doesn't necessarily mean he will earn more minutes going forward, if the past is any indication. Brown's role has been sporadic all year. Before Wednesday, he had appeared in only half (17) of the Wizards' 34 games so far this season. In five of the games he did play, he logged fewer than 10 minutes.
Consistency is going to be key for Brown, and that's not easy to achieve when playing time is all over the place. But that's the situation he's in and that he will need to navigate through.
"He just has to keep working on his game. He's 21 years old," Brooks said. "He hasn't gotten a lot of looks in the last month-and-a-half or so, since [he was in] health and [safety] protocol. But he's going to keep working, he's a great kid that works hard. I'm glad he came in and played well."
The Wizards picked up Brown's fourth-year rookie scale contract option, which means he's set to be back next year barring a trade. As Brooks said, he's still only 21 years old. It may take time for him to find his niche in the NBA.
"I believe in myself a lot. I feel like as long as I keep on getting better and I keep the right mindset and working hard, then the sky is the limit," Brown said.
