With the NBA Draft Combine over, the Portland Trail Blazers will transition into pre-draft workouts with prospects. Some workouts were revealed at the combine, like Wichita State’s Landry Shamet and Duke’s Gary Trent Jr., but more will trickle in leading up to the draft. One workout learned post-combine is Miami’s Bruce Brown, a defensive fiend at the guard position. As Jason Quick of NBC Sports Northwest detailed, Brown has a memory that fuels him to this day:
When he was 8 and living in Boston, he remembers huddling in the kitchen with his mom and two siblings.
“She didn’t have enough money to get oil for the house,’’ Brown said of his mom. “So we had to open the oven for heat and had to sit by the oven for heat. That stuck with me. I want to get her out of that situation, and (the NBA draft) is a great opportunity.”
Brown, according to Quick, has the Blazers interested in what he can offer:
Brown has piqued the interest of the Blazers because of his size (6-foot-5), and his defensive skills on the perimeter, which were shelved the final two months of this season after he broke his left foot. He says the foot has been fully cleared for the past two weeks.
Ahead of the draft, Brown is saying all of the right things:
“I just know that’s what I do. Growing up I wasn’t the best offensive player, so I had to focus on defense and getting steals,’’ he said. “I just love getting stops and helping my team.’’
You can read Steve Dewald’s extensive breakdown of Brown’s game here. The NBA Draft is Thursday, June 21.