New Orleans Pelicans 2015 NBA Draft Profiles: Anthony Brown

It is that time of year again. With the NBA Draft just a few weeks away it is time to start looking at players that the New Orleans Pelicans can potentially draft. While most of the players that we profile will be second round players since the Pelicans currently only have a second round pick, there will also be a few first round talents mixed in with the bunch as well. Considering the Pelicans are pretty set in the backcourt and at power forward the profiles will focus on wing players that fit into a small forward role and backup big men, places the Pelicans can stand to get a bit better.

We start the process today with Anthony Brown, a wing player out of Stanford who very well may be one of the best shooters in the draft. While it remains to be seen exactly what else Brown can do the shooting and his size make him a very intriguing prospect for the Pelicans if he somehow falls to them in the second round.

The Basics (all info per DraftExpress):

Age: 22

Height (with shoes): 6’8.5′

Weight: 211 lbs.

Wingspan: 6’11.25”

Standing Reach: 8’8.5”

Max Vertical: 34.5

2015 college stats: 14.8 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 44.1 three-point percentage.

Projected value: Second round.

Strengths:

Brown is in position to be drafted because his biggest strength is the one thing that every NBA team is looking for right now— three-point shooting. Brown shot an outstanding 44.1 percent from three-point range this season and continued that at the NBA combine,

More from Pelicans News

where he shot an outstanding 84 percent on his shooting drills including no worse than 80 percent from every NBA mark. With how important floor spacing is, especially for the Pelicans right now, Brown is a very nice second round prospect.

The other reason that Brown is so interesting is that he combines that shooting ability with size and at least average defense. At 6’8” with a 6’11” wingspan, Brown should at least be able to do a decent job staying with most NBA wings and making their life harder than it could be. While his lack of elite athleticism may not allow Brown to become a lockdown defender, he is a player that should be able to guard at least two positions fairly well which is great to have combined with his shooting.

Weaknesses:

The biggest weakness that Brown has the fact that he is very one-dimensional as an offensive player. Almost all of his offense currently comes off of spot-up shooting and while he showed nice footwork and touch coming off of screens, he isn’t a player that will be a threat to beat his defender off of the dribble.

Part of that problem rests in Brown’s other big weakness which is his athleticism. Brown isn’t a player that is going to leap off the screen at someone as an elite athlete and he can struggle to go side to side quickly. The hope is that part of that problem is related to a hip condition that forced Brown to miss a year of play in college and that the farther he gets from surgery the better he moves.

Brown is also 22 years old, which isn’t a big knock on a second round prospect but is something that could limit his potential upside.

Projected role: At best Brown projects as a three-and-D player who could potentially start for a really good team down the line. At worst he at least seems to have a career as a player along the lines of Wayne Ellington, who has bounced around the league thanks to his shooting ability.

Information for this scouting report, including measurements, came from DraftExpress.

Next: All of these will fit in under Alvin Gentry

More from Pelican Debrief

Home/Pelicans News