The Houston Rockets have made a few moves over the past week. Not content with the roster as it is currently constructed, general manager Daryl Morey has shaken up the roster by adding Alexey Shved and Corey Brewer to help shore up the bench. Shved was a nice addition to the bench who will make an impact with his dribbling and passing ability. Brewer is, in theory, a nice addition. In reality, Brewer will not make a big difference for the Houston Rockets.
Corey Brewer has been around in the league. Brewer has been in the NBA for eight seasons. During those eight seasons, he’s played for five different teams. During all of those runs with those teams, Brewer was nothing more than a role player. Not only that, but a role player who doesn’t understand his limits. Brewer plays with high energy at all times. On the defensive end, that’s a good thing. On the offensive end, that is not a good thing for a player who doesn’t know his limits.
Rest assured, Corey Brewer does have some sort of value. Brewer is a player who will play defense with a passion and won’t stop until the job is done. Defensively, Brewer is a very good player to have on the perimeter, as he always gives it 100 percent. Sometimes, this results in foul trouble for Brewer, as he will be overly aggressive trying to pick pocket the ball handler. Despite his willingness to play defense, Corey Brewer is not an elite defensive player.
On the offensive end, Brewer is simply a black hole. This is a player who is overly aggressive on this end, and lacks the sufficient skills to make up for his mental mistakes. Brewer can’t score, he can’t shoot and he can’t pass. His dribbling leaves a lot to be desired. Quite simply, Brewer should not be a playmaker on this end of the court. Too often, Brewer will force the action, whether by dribbling or by shooting, and it actively hurts the team. There is a reason why Brewer only shoots 42.8 percent from the floor and 29.2 percent from long range.
It would be fine if Corey Brewer couldn’t do anything but shoot the deep ball. There have been plenty of players in the NBA’s long and rich history who are defensive specialists who can also shoot the ball well from long range. Corey Brewer is not one of these players, as he does not bring the elite defensive production nor the good shooting. Simply put, Corey Brewer is a jack-of-few-trades and definitely a master of none.
One thing you can say about him is that he plays with his heart on his sleeve and he gives it 100 percent every single game. There aren’t a lot of players who will do that night in and night out, but Corey Brewer manages to do just that. Going forward, the Rockets can expect solid defense out of their new small forward. Just don’t expect him to be able to put up a lot of points. With his skill set, it’s clear that Brewer likely won’t make a big difference for Houston.