You really can’t put much stock in the NBA Summer League. On Sunday, the San Antonio Spurs got blown out by the Golden State Warriors, 98-69. If wins and losses mattered in the summer, we’d be pulling our hair out.
The Summer League is about as close to AAU ball as you can get for grown men. Instead of caring about team results, it’s a chance for fringe NBA guys to show off, and for rookies to make the adjustment to the expectations of the NBA.
Usually, the players who go viral and command attention are big-time scorers, but the Spurs are taking a different approach. Maliq Brown averaged only 4.9 points per game in his final season at Duke, but was easily the best defender in the ACC.
In San Antonio, they want him to lean into his skill set.
Spurs Praise Maliq Brown For Defensive Prowess
Against the Warriors in that pathetic outing, Maliq Brown posted a steal and a block. He took only two shots in 23 minutes.
If he plans on cracking the rotation in the fall for the Spurs, he’ll have to be ready to take more shots, plain and simple. However, unlike most rookies, he’s already an elite defender.
“I think he’s got a high upside defensively,” said Summer League coach Corliss Williamson of Maliq Brown. “There are some things he can work on offensively, but defensively, he has some instincts. One of the things we talked about in the film session with him today was him continuing to learn to be in the right spots with our schemes and the way to play NBA defense. I thought he did a better job tonight of being in those right spots, being down in the stance, ready to react, and he’s just gonna continue to get better. And his ability to switch and guard multiple positions is a good thing for him in our organization.”
Brown spent two seasons at Syracuse before transferring to Duke for two more. He never averaged ten points in a season, but twice made the ACC All-Defensive Team.
He can guard multiple positions and shut down top scorers at every level. If he becomes even a serviceable scorer, he will certainly be a key player for the Spurs moving forward.
That’s a big “if.”
“He’s got active hands,” Williamson added. “He does a really good job of coming over, whether it’s blocking his shot or having active hands in a passing lane. He does a good job of pressuring the bigs and crashing out. And then when they do catch it, he’s got active hands, gets deflections, touched the ball a lot. So those are some good strengths to have as a defensive player.”
The Spurs are hoping they found a diamond in the rough, but with four college seasons under his belt and at 22 years old already, the clock is ticking.
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