Orlando Magic 2023 Offseason Needs: Forward depth could be the missing piece
2023 Orlando Magic Offseason Needs: Forward depth
Troy Brown, Los Angeles Lakers
Troy Brown is one of the most perfect fits in this offseason for the Orlando Magic. Brown is the definition of a player that plays their role, but still has a lot of potential. Brown is 23 with already five years of experience in the league already.
Brown is everything the Magic are looking for in a player. He shoots the ball consistently, plays really good defense and plays his role but still has room to grow. Brown averaged 7.1 points per game, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.3 assists on 43.0/38.1/87.2 shooting splits in 24.5 minutes per game for the Lakers.
Offensively he is the ideal bench player for the Magic. He can shoot the long ball as his three-point percentage shows. He shot 39 percent on catch-and-shoot threes which the Magic need improvement on and he shot 40 percent from the corner.
He had 12 games where he made at least three threes, and 33 games with multiple threes. He was a phenomenal shooter, and he only started 45 games. He was a great overall spark off the bench. He had 22 games with double-digit points including a season high of 19.
His consistent shooting along with his defensive effort can make him the perfect 3-and-D wing for the Magic and give them a little bit of rebounding as well. Brown is a really good defender for being 23 years old and he has a great frame. He is 6-foot-7 with a 6-foot-11 wing span.
He had a 115 defensive rating which is about average in the league, but when you put it in perspective of what the Lakers were depending on him to do it shows that he has great defensive potential.
The Lakers looked at Brown as one of their best perimeter defenders and asked a lot of him defensively. He would often be given the assignment of the other teams leading scorer and he made the best of it.
He played really good defense on some of the league’s best players and he even got the better of some of his matchups. He held Luka Doncic and Anthony Edwards to 4-for-10 shooting, Zach Lavine and C.J McCollum to 3-for-10, Klay Thompson to 6-for-22 shooting and Jayson Tatum to 1-for-5 shooting.
He played amazing defense and caused havoc as well. He had 14 games where he had multiple steals or blocks including multiple games with 3 steals. He also only averaged 1.6 fouls per game which is impressively low for a younger player who is guarding some of the league’s best.
He gives them some rebounding as well. He had 16 games with at least 6 rebounds. He had 2 double doubles, and three games with at least 10 rebounds including a 17 rebound game.
Brown has tremendous defensive potential and he could give the bench unit some desperately needed defense.
Along with all that Brown has already been apart of two playoff runs at only 23 years old. He has been in winning atmospheres and he knows what it takes to get there. He could bring some of that winning atmosphere to the locker room.
Brown can do a little bit of everything, but excels in shooting and defense which makes him an excellent fit for the Magic in the offseason.
Still, the Lakers did not use him much in the Playoffs. He appeared in only 12 games and averaged 10.3 minutes per game. With all the trades the Lakers made later in the season, Brown got squeeze out of the rotation completely when the chips went down.