Corey Brewer: A Quiet But Essential Acquisition

When people in NBA circles speak highly of Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey, it’s mostly based on the way Morey was able to identify how essential star players are in the NBA, and position his franchise in such a way to acquire those stars.

Exhibit A was the James Harden trade and exhibit B was clearing the space to sign Dwight Howard in an unprecedented way (Superstars do not traditionally leave the Los Angeles Lakers).

Exhibit C was nearly signing Chris Bosh, which would have made the Rockets one of the clear championship favorites heading into this season.

Instead, Morey was forced to recalibrate the path to title contention, and although the Rockets may not get where they want to be this season, they continue to be in a position to get there. Morey made a series of offseason and in-season moves to improve the depth and experience of his team, which, although it didn’t have Chris Bosh, did have plenty of talent and a clear style of play.

In almost every conceivable way, the Rockets exceeded expectations this season. Without Dwight Howard for a large portion of the season, the team approached defensive greatness. They set an all-time NBA record for made three-point field goals, led the league by a large margin in free throw attempts, and they were third in the league in both points off turnovers and fast break points.

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Kevin McHale, with help from some smart front office people (including Morey) who had input as to what the Rockets should value on the floor, built an identity for this team despite a near roster transformation in the middle of the season. Aided by injuries, 20 different players played minutes for the Houston Rockets.

Patrick Beverley, Tarik Black, Donatas Motiejunas, Troy Daniels and Isaiah Cannan all played minutes in Game 1 of the 2014-15 season for Houston. Francisco Garcia and Joey Dorsey both were on that Day 1 roster in November. None of those players are contributing at the moment for the Rockets as they play a very good Los Angeles Clippers team.

Along the way, the splashy move was signing Josh Smith after Detroit cut ties with him. Morey was also given the stamp of approval for bringing in athletic and promising rookie K.J. McDaniels at the trade deadline. But it was a quiet trade just before Christmas that exemplifies Morey’s ability to identify players with value that fit the Rockets’ distinct basketball philosophy.

Four days before the holiday, the Rockets acquired Corey Brewer from a bad Minnesota Timberwolves team for a pair of protected second round picks and Troy Daniels. It was essentially nothing of value for a veteran player who had championship experience on both the collegiate (Florida) and NBA (Dallas Mavericks) level.

Brewer has his limitations as a player. He’s not an elite outside shooter, and he looks like a better defender than he actually has been at the NBA level, but he is an invaluable role player for this Rockets team and he does certain things well that they value.

First, Brewer may not be an elite outside shooter, 29 percent from long range in his career in fact. But, the Rockets clearly value volume over efficiency when it comes to three-point shooting. They took and made the most in the NBA by a large margin and yet shot just below 35 percent from deep, just 14th in the NBA according to Basketball-Reference.

And although Brewer has not been effective for the majority of his career, he’s shooting a tidy 40 percent on catch-and-shoot three-pointers in this season’s playoffs, per NBA.com.

Brewer also brings traits on the defensive end, despite his inconsistency on that end. He’s a long, athletic, and quick player. That doesn’t always translate on the defensive end, but it can in spurts. He allows defensive versatility for the Rockets as he can guard the 1-3 positions. And he occasionally flashes his physical gifts and timing on plays such as this:

Brewer was also averaging 2.3 steals per game in Minnesota, and averaged 1.5 steals per 36 minutes for the Rockets.

But Brewer’s most identifying trait is the one that fits so perfect with this version of the Rockets and their basketball philosophy. Sure the Rockets want to take a lot of three-pointers and sure they want to get to the free throw line and attack the rim, but another core principle of the Houston Rockets is their emphasis on playing fast and in transition.

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As I mentioned, they were elite (third) in both points off turnovers and fast break points and Brewer has always been one of the best fast break players in the NBA. It’s his most identifiable trait.

He was third in the NBA in the frequency in which Brewer was involved in Transition plays according to Synergy data available on NBA.com, with 34.7 percent of his plays being in transition.

He was also ninth in the NBA in total points scored in transition behind mostly players considered superstars and his teammate Trevor Ariza, according to NBA.com.

Before Sunday night’s Game 4 loss to the Clippers, Brewer was fifth in the 2015 NBA Playoffs in points scored in transition.

The Rockets may be quickly dispatched by the Clippers, and maybe Brewer is not good enough to take the Rockets from very good to a Championship-caliber team. He certainly has his limitations as a player.

But acquiring an experienced playoff performer that will consistently produce in ways that fit your basketball philosophy for a D-league caliber player and two protected second round picks with little value is one of the myriad of reasons why Daryl Morey continues to GM circles around a large portion of the NBA.

Next: Rockets Will Only Go As Far As James Harden Carries Them

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