Until he arrived in Columbus with his new teammates last week, Bryce Brown was in limbo.
He of course controlled what he could control, working out daily and keeping his game sharp. Brown’s work ethic has been that of a pro since his latter years as a big leader for Bruce Pearl’s Auburn teams. But he was always unsure of what the next day would bring — more specifically, who might give him a call.
“I potentially could have got a call for an NBA team,” Brown said.
With the 2019-20 NBA season set to resume at the end of this month in the Disney World “bubble,” the 22 participating teams are able to bring their full roster of 17 players instead of the standard 15, in case a normal rotation player becomes sick or opts out of the season entirely.
Since 2016, NBA rosters have been optioned a pair of “two-way” players — who are on both the NBA and G League rosters but can most easily be called up — per year, and with a bizarre finish to the season upcoming, teams can utilize their two wild card players more than ever. The Celtics, for whom Brown’s G League team last season, the Maine Red Claws, are an affiliate, already have their two-way players in former LSU guard Tremont Waters and former UCF center Tacko Fall.
But Brown was one of the better players in the G League last season, so any team could have scooped him up had they really zeroed in on him.
The June 23 deadline came and went, however, and Brown’s summer plans didn’t change.
Most players on the roster this summer for War Tampa, Auburn’s adopted TBT squad playing in a 24-team tournament this month with $1 million in winnings on the line, are still searching for their big breaks professionally — like former Auburn forward Desean Murray, who told AuburnSports.com in May he sees the event as a possible jumping off point for his pro career. Others who may have experience overseas and in other professional settings are looking to bolster their resumes in front of scouts, coaches and a national TV audience on ESPN.
Brown obviously wants to make a name for himself further, but the No. 2 3-point shooter in SEC history feels his G League resume from this past season already has him well prepared for the future.
“I definitely could use it (TBT) as an opportunity to showcase my talent just like I'm pretty sure everybody else is," Brown said Thursday on a TBT video call with reporters. "But for the most part, I feel comfortable where I'm at, and I'm just going to try and go out there and win and try to get this milly.”
The Stone Mountain, Ga., native, who scored 1,673 career points in his four seasons at Auburn, went undrafted last April but quickly signed to the Sacramento Kings Summer League squad before ultimately landing with the Celtics as a G League prospect before the year began.
The sharpshooter easily bypassed any college-to-pro learning curve, immediately making his presence in the NBA’s developmental league felt as a high-volume 3-point assassin who generally connected at a high rate — all while flashing his signature, tenacious defense, for which Pearl has called him the best on-ball defender he’s ever coached.
Brown shot 42.4% from downtown with the Red Claws — a top-15 clip in last year’s G League and better than any one season of his at Auburn. He generally contributed across the court, scoring 16.1 points (ranking seventh in the G League in jump-shot efficiency), grabbing 3.6 rebounds, dishing 2.4 assists and snagging 0.9 steals per game while seeing the court nearly 30 minutes a night on average.
Minus a mid-year ankle injury, Brown was consistently growing his game in the G League, which he attributed to working with pro-ready players day in and day out.
“I was around the Celtics last year before I was sent to the G League and everything,” Brown said when asked what he learned from his first year in the G League. “You know how smart guys play. … They make certain reads. My biggest thing was just making the right play.”
On Dec. 7, Brown’s unhesitating and relentless release as a 3-point bomber made waves across the league. Scoring 43 points in a loss to the Delaware Blue Coats, he connected on all 11 of his attempts from downtown, setting a G League record for 3-point makes in a game.
“I don't have to be this super play maker,” Brown said. “I'm a big-time shooter, and I understand that, and I know my role. But I don't have to be this super playmaker. I just have to make the right plays. And that's what they wanted to see.”
He’ll attempt to recapture that magic in Columbus this Fourth of July weekend with his temporary teammates. Most notably, Brown and former Wofford guard Fletcher Magee were two of the most feared shooters in the 2019 NCAA tournament, and now they get to be teammates.
“Just look out for a show. We’re going to try to put on one,” Brown said of what to expect from War Tampa’s offensive approach. “We’re going to shoot a lot of 3s, so it’s going to be very similar to Auburn basketball."
But after War Tampa is sent home — whether it’s with an extra chunk of cash in their suitcases or not — Brown will lock back in on his NBA aspirations.
In interviews during the Red Claws season, it was apparent Brown and his camp were at least in some talks with NBA teams toward the latter part of the season. Brown didn’t go much into detail Thursday, but he did note he feels there is a specific opportunity awaiting him as long as things don’t fall through.
Regardless of what happens in Columbus — and of what transpires for the NBA in regards to COVID-19 — Brown won’t be lacking confidence about his NBA dreams. He knows they’re just getting started.
“After [TBT], I was going to continue training, continue staying in shape,” Brown said. “Just hoping, hopefully, something opens up.
“I feel pretty confident that I put myself in a good position.”
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