Anthony Brown has spent a majority of his time with the Timberwolves new affiliated G-League team, the Iowa Wolves. After playing well for them, the small forward out of Stanford deserves to be called up.
Anthony Brown has been called up before to the NBA this season for the Minnesota Timberwolves. However, when he’s been called up, he he has yet to receive any playing time. In the past two seasons that he has played in the NBA, he has averaged four points and 2.6 rebounds, per-gam while shooting the the ball at a 27.8 percent clip from three.
Brown has certainly benefited from his time in Iowa, as he has been dominating in Des Moines According to the NBA’s G-League site, Brown is averaging a terrifying 40.7 minutes per game, although Tom Thibodeau likely approves of the sound of that. But, in that span of time, he has been very productive.
He is averaging 21.1 points per game with a 44.6 field goal percentage, and a 41.7 3-point percentage to go along with six rebounds, 3.1 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.5 blocks per-game. Right away, we can see his ability to shoot and score the basketball.
Minnesota’s only issue when it comes to scoring is finding production off the bench. According to NBA.com, the Wolves rank 27th in the league in terms of bench scoring, with just 25.3 points per game. A Brown call-up is something Minnesota should consider, as Brown could be an instant boost off the bench.
One other eye-popping statistic, is that he has been shooting the three with great success. Just the other night, he made 10 three’s on 16 attempts. Pretty much anyone who can make 10 threes in a given night doesn’t just deserve a look at a spot on a roster, but should be on a roster. We all know Minnesota struggles to shoot the ball from deep, so maybe Brown could be the much-needed boost they so desperately need.
The starters at time look gassed because of the heavy minutes laid upon them by coach Thibs. Adding another bench player (if he plays, of course), will go along way. This will allow players to rest longer and play with more energy.
It’s not like Thib’s is going to be playing Shabazz Muhammad anytime soon. In the entire month of December, Muhammad, only saw a total of seven minutes in two games. Because he has been sitting out, the emergence of Marcus Georges-Hunt, albeit in short stints, has been big for Minnesota’s success.
Georges-Hunt’s stats don’t stick out, but because he is able to come in and play good defense, other Minnesota starters are able to rest and in turn player better. Brown can be that guy coming off the bench. He’s been playing so well down in Iowa that it’s almost a no-brainer to call him up and see what he can do. Worst case scenario: Brown doesn’t play like many hoped for, resulting in him going back to Iowa.
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Calling him up could mean that the bench scoring and 3-point shooting improves. Along with more rest time for the starters. I think it’s only a matter of time before we see him getting called up.