Detroit Pistons: 3 goals for Bruce Brown in the 2020-21 season

Bruce  Brown took a major step forward this past season, but bigger steps are needed if he’s going to get where he needs to be for the Detroit Pistons.

The Detroit Pistons had a season to forget from a wins and losses perspective, but from a development standpoint, they made some good strides. One player in particular who took a step forward was guard Bruce Brown.

In his second season, he had to handle an increased workload and responsibilities thanks to a roster absolutely wracked with injuries. He had a good stint in the Las Vegas Summer League at point guard last summer, and that justifiably made him the most qualified point guard on the team at times with Reggie Jackson, Derrick Rose and Tim Frazier all missing time (occasionally all at the same time).

Let’s take a look at three important goals for Bruce Brown going into the 2020 offseason.

1. Shooting proficiency and aggression

Bruce Brown went from being a serious drag on the offense in his rookie season to being something close to passable in year two. Particularly as a 3-point shooter, he did take solid steps in progressing year over year. He shot 25.8 percent from long range in year one, but made a pretty significant leap to 34.4 percent in year two.

The problem with this? His shooting volume actually went down even though his proficiency went up. His 3-point rate (percentage of field goal attempts that came from 3-point range) was 29.6 percent as a rookie with that ineffective shot, but it dropped this past season to 21.5 percent.

Brown is a player who will turn down open shots or hesitate when he gets the ball on the perimeter, and shedding his conscience and simply firing away will go a long way towards making defenses pay for selling him short.