INDIANAPOLIS — On the defensive end, Maliq Brown already has everything NBA teams say they want in a wing.
The Duke forward — who took part in a Pacers prospect workout at the Ascension St. Vincent Center on Friday — has proven that he has all the physical tools and knows how to use them. At the NBA Draft Combine last month, he measured 6-8, 216.6 pounds without shoes, with a wingspan of nearly 7-1. He didn’t show as much athletic explosion as his game film might indicate but still had a 34-inch vertical. Showing off his chase-down speed, he completed a three-quarter court sprint in just 3.07 seconds, one of the top four times at the Combine with no one finishing faster than 3.06.
And in four college seasons, Brown proved to not only have the physical tools but the instincts to wreck opposing game plans. He spent his first two seasons at Syracuse, and as a sophomore he was named All-ACC Defense with 7.2 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game. Then after transferring to Duke, he finished out his career by earning ACC Defensive Player of the Year and Sixth Man of the Year in the same season, recording 68 steals and 24 blocks in 38 games and averaging 5.2 rebounds per game. He’s shown he can defend any position and operate in any scheme, playing in Jim Boeheim’s 2-3 zone as a freshman before the Syracuse legend retired and then moved to Jon Scheyer’s switch-heavy man-to-man.
“I think it positions me well,” Brown said. “I hung my hat there, obviously, in college. That’s my strength obviously, just being able to defend a guy. I’m showing in these workouts that I can defend guards too, not just bigger guys and whoever my matchup is, but also smaller quicker guys and that’s what I’m trying to showcase.”
What he still has to prove, however, is that he can provide the “3” portion of being a 3-and-D wing.
At both Syracuse and Duke, Brown kept his jump shooting to a minimum and instead kept his offense close to the rim. At Duke in particular he was surrounded by high-level NBA talents including Cooper Flagg, Kon Kneuppel and Cameron Boozer, and he didn’t have to do much in the way of shot creation. Mostly he just cleaned up around the rim as he shot 62.9% or better from the floor in each of his four seasons. He never made less than 69.8% of his 2-pointers and was at 73% or better in each of his last three seasons.
However, Brown rarely made any of the few 3-pointers he attempted. He finished 16 of 61 from 3-point range in his college career (26.2%) and never made more than seven in a season. This year, he made just 5 of 30 attempts, a rough 16.7%.
So since his final college season ended, it has been a particular point of emphasis.
“Obviously my perimeter shooting is what I’ve definitely been spending a lot of my time definitely during this process,” Brown said. “Being comfortable shooting those shots. Being ready, shot ready. Just having that confidence to keep shooting. If you make a couple shots or miss a couple of shots, just get into the next shot and stay composed and keep shooting.”
Dustin Dopirak covers the Pacers all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Pacers Insider newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Duke’s Maliq Brown trying to show he has the 3 in 3-and-D wing
Reporting by Dustin Dopirak, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
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By Dustin Dopirak, Indianapolis Star | USA TODAY Network
