Markel Brown had quite a progression throughout his rookie season.
At the start of the year, he couldn't even get off the bench. By the end of it, he was in the starting lineup, playing with the first unit for the final 29 games of the season, though he didn't play much during the playoffs.
Brown's impact came on the defensive end. Offensively, he didn't shoot well, handle the ball much or put up many attempts at all. Basically, the Nets were playing as close to 4-on-5 as possible, but Brown's energetic defense and added athleticism made that worth it for the 16-to-20 minutes he was playing every night.
Now though, it appears Brooklyn might try to integrate Brown into the offense a bit more moving forward. NetsDaily has more:
Brown actually was an offensive threat back at Oklahoma State, where he averaged 17.2 points per game and shot 38 percent from three as a senior. But Tony Allen was a threat back when he was a Cowboy, too, and now, he's purely a defensive-minded player. Brown is young enough that he could go either way. We'll find out if this point guard thing is for real once training camp begins.
(H/t to NetsDaily.)
Photo Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
"All the coaches know I'm a solid defender, but they want to see me go out there and score the ball," Brown said. "They want to see me do it on both ends. Even though they know I can score, I didn't try to do too much my rookie season. But going into next season, they want me to help contribute more for the team. My goal for the offseason is to get in the gym, score the ball and be able to handle the point guard spot."
Point guard? This isn't the first time Brown has said he thinks he can handle the point. Last summer, he said his role model is Russell Westbrook-lite, a hyper athletic hybrid. The general assessment is that Brown can be a better scorer given his skillset, has potential as a passer but his ball-handling is wanting.
Brown told the Alexandria Town Talk that after he was inserted in the starting lineup, his goal was to play solid, not spectacular.
"I just stayed solid on the court," Brown said. "I didn't try to do too much out of my boundaries. I just wanted to go out there and do everything I can to help the team. I think with doing that and playing hard, it led me to starting for the rest of the season."
