On the Beat: Determined Brown Encouraged by Progress

PHILADELPHIA – Jaylen Brown is just looking to prove himself.  That’s how the 6’7″ tall, 229-pound small forward put it following his Tuesday afternoon workout at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. Describing himself as “overaggressive,” and a person who carries a chip on his shoulder, there is one thing in particular, though, that Brown hopes to clear up before draft night.   He knows there are people out there – possibly NBA executives, maybe a few of his peers, probably some fans – who question his three-point shot.  Perhaps they have reason to.  In his lone season at Cal – Berkeley, Brown connected on 30 triples, while converting 29.4 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc.  On the heels of turning pro, he has been on a mission to prove his perimeter game has legitimate potential.”I think there’s a lot of misconceptions about if I can shoot the ball,” Brown said Tuesday afternoon following his solo workout for the 76ers at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.  “I think shooting 29 percent leaving college and coming to the NBA three-point line, [teams] want to see the transition.  I think I’m shooting the ball well above their expectations.”Comments made Tuesday by a key member of the Sixers’ front office only seemed to reinforce that sentiment. “He was really good,” said Vice President of Player Personnel Marc Eversley, who observed the 45-minute long workout, along with President of Basketball Operations Bryan Colangelo and Brett Brown.  “What we were looking for [Tuesday] to see how he shoots the ball. We all know he’s got great length, he’s a great athlete, he’s very explosive at the rim, he’s got a tremendous vertical.  But what we wanted to see [Tuesday] was his ability to shoot the ball, and he shot it very well.”Such was especially the case during the final drill of Brown’s workout, which the media was able to observe.  The 19-year old Marietta, Georgia native rotated around the three-point border, knocking down a steady dose of long-range catch-and-shoot jumpers from a variety of locations.  “Early on in the workout, he almost accentuated his arc on his shot,” noted Eversley.  “Since he’s left Cal, and gotten with his trainer, I think he’s really worked on extending the ball with a higher trajectory, giving it a greater chance to go into the bucket.  I think he’s really worked hard on his shooting stroke, his mechanics, and especially his trajectory.””I don’t think I’ve done anything, just repetition,” Brown said when asked if he’s made any adjustments to his three-point form.  “I try to focus on staying balanced. I don’t think I’ve changed the mechanics of the shot.  Just footwork, placement, rhythm, balance all coming into play.”Although he’s placed placed considerable emphasis on increasing his efficiency from three-point territory, Brown has set other developmental goals for himself as well.  Most of all, as he approaches the cusp of his NBA career, the projected top-10 selection wants to become “a two-way player, offense and defense, a stopper who can also get out there and score” in the same vein of All-Stars Kawhi Leonard, Jimmy Butler, Russell Westbrook, and Kobe Bryant.  “That’s the track I’m trying to follow,” Brown said.  “Those are the paths I’m trying to come behind.”Eversley described Brown as a “slasher” with the attacking ability necessary to successfully “run the floor,” and finish “well above the rim.”  At Cal last year, Brown was at his most effective offensively in the open court, generating 1.132 points per transition possession.  He expects that dimension of his game to translate to the next level.”NBA shot clock is quicker,” said Brown, “so there’s going to be a lot more transition, and that favors my game, but I have to get better at that as well.  Even though it’s a strength, it’s a different pace, it’s a different atmosphere playing with grown men.  It’ll be different, but the learning curve, trying to make it as quick as possible.”To better ready himself for the draft and his NBA career, Brown has enlisted the services of Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas and former All-Star Shareef Abdur-Raheem, another Cal product.  Both have served as mentors, with Brown choosing to handle most of his own representation, rather than go through a traditional agent.  “I don’t think anybody knows more about the process or the politics than those two,” said Brown.  “If they do, then I need to get their number or something like that. Those two are pretty hooked in. I just use them and use their resources and things they have, and everything is taken care of.”Prior to Tuesday, Brown had worked out in Los Angeles, Phoenix, Boston, and New Orleans.  He told Sixers.com that having the chance to meet with the Sixers was a “priviledge,” given that the organization will go first in the draft order on June 23rd. “They’re inviting me in, of course that means that they showed some interest,” said Brown.  “For me, it’s just about [showing] who I am, and they’re telling me a little about them, and what they see me doing, and things like that, but I think the reason why I’m here is that maybe I could be in contention to be the number one pick in the draft.””It’s just another prospect that we wanted to see and bring into Philadelphia,” Eversley said of Brown. “He’s one of those guys who’s up in that area that we’re looking at.  He’s a high-level prospect.”As much as that might be the case, Brown hasn’t appeared to take his natural talents for granted, and has stayed focused on fine-tuning his skills, all while preparing for a big night on June 23rd. “I’m not concerned with being a top whatever pick.  I want to be a top player in the NBA one day.  This is just a milestone, this is just a checkpoint that I’m going through.  I’ve still got a long way to go.”