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Charlie Brown Jr. went unselected in the 2019 NBA Draft and has spent most of his time in the G League ever since. A 6-foot-6 guard, his game is still relatively unknown, although he has some clear deficiencies.
While he’s a confident player, Brown simply doesn’t have many reps at the NBA level to truly determine if he’s a viable NBA player. If he makes it through training camp and makes the Thunder’s 15-man roster ahead of the 2021-22 season, it could be his first extended opportunity to play consistent NBA minutes.
As each player in this series is evaluated, it’s important to consider the prospect they are now, but more importantly how they could look in five years when the Thunder are a competitive playoff team once again.
Last Season’s Numbers
Brown played in nine games for the Thunder towards the end of last season. While he didn’t play a major role, he averaged 4.4 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.0 assists per contest.
He was initially signed to a pair of 10–day contracts before being signed to a multi-year deal.
It would be a solid payday for Brown given his experience, but the contract itself going forward was non-guaranteed.
Brown was also a key member of the Thunder’s summer league roster earlier this month. He played in 19.7 minutes per game through five NBA Summer League contests. Just like he did last season, Brown averaged 4.4 points per contest but also pulled down 4.4 rebounds per game.
Fit On Current Roster
While many of the Thunder’s young players lack NBA experience, Brown falls in that same category even at his age. To this point, he’s only played in 19 NBA games.
This is due to Brown primarily being a G League player throughout his short professional career.
With all of this being considered, Oklahoma City is stacked at the guard position. Even on a rebuilding team, minutes will have to truly be earned by guys like Brown.
With the low value, non-guaranteed nature of his contract Brown could be a cut candidate ahead of the upcoming season if a roster spot needs to be cleared.
Long-Term Fit
If Brown wants to stick around in the NBA, even outside of the Thunder, he’ll have to improve upon his 3-point shooting. With the direction the league is going, that’s the only way he’ll find his way onto the court with his current skill set.
In his NBA career, Brown is a 26.7 percent 3-point shooter. Throughout his G League action, he’s also a sub-30 percent shooter from deep.
To make things worse, he only converted on 12.5 percent of his threes in summer league.
Barring a very unexpected jump in the 2021-22 season, Brown isn’t part of the long-term plans in Oklahoma City. There’s too many guards on the roster with higher ceilings that will be prioritized in terms of development.
Prospect Grade
D+
Although he’s 24 years old, Brown has only played in 192 NBA minutes. A player with his trajectory is entering a season that could determine how many more years he even has the opportunity at this level.
Again, his shot mechanics aren’t great and he is a poor 3-point shooter.
There’s always the chance Brown ends up being a quality rotation player and starts to find his way in the NBA this season, but based on what he’s shown to this point in his career, his ceiling is a role player in the league.
More must-reads:
- Key Knicks forward ruled out for Game 7 vs. Pacers
- Watch: Thunder go on 24-6 run to close out first half of Game 6 vs. Mavericks
- The 'Most triple-doubles in the postseason' quiz
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