If Spurs fans weren't familiar with Maliq Brown's game prior to Summer League, they've gotten a crash course on their new second-round pick in Las Vegas.
He's not going to put up eye-popping scoring numbers, but Brown is going to do all the little things that San Antonio needs to win basketball games. They're the perfect franchise to appreciate those gifts.
In the Spurs' latest Summer League outing on Sunday against the Milwaukee Bucks, San Antonio saw the full Maliq Brown experience.
The former ACC Defensive Player of the Year only attempted one shot. He made it, while also knocking down his free throws to get to a whopping 4 points. But he stuffed the stat sheet with 9 rebounds (7 offensive), 5 assists, 4 steals, and 2 blocks in the Spurs' 10-point win.
Maliq Brown continues to show that he can make an impact for the San Antonio Spurs
While his three-point shooting figures to be the swing skill that will determine his long-term viability as a playoff rotation player, Brown can come in and help the Spurs - and 29 other franchises - immediately.
Every team needs a glue guy. There was no better glue guy in college basketball the last two seasons than Brown. He was essential to two elite Duke teams.
Finding playing time on a crowded roster in San Antonio won't be easy. But Brown is the type of player who just forces his way onto the court. Playing at Duke showed that. He was consistently competing with talented players, guys who were ranked well above where he was as a recruit, but Jon Scheyer found it difficult to take him off the court.
He just impacts winning in so many little ways. He's going to fight for rebounds, dive for loose balls, defend guards, wings, and bigs, and be a pest on both ends of the floor for every second of every minute of playing time he gets.
None of what Brown has done so far in Summer League has been surprising to Duke fans. It also hasn't been surprising to the Spurs organization. He's doing exactly what he was brought in to do in Vegas, and giving San Antonio fans a glimpse of the kinds of things they can expect from him on a nightly basis when he gets an opportunity in the NBA.
Brown will still likely spend a chunk of his rookie season in the G-League so he can get the minutes he needs to develop offensively. But when he gets a chance in the Spurs' rotation, he might not give that spot up for a long, long time.
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