Maliq Brown's Summer League debut showcased the swing skill that could keep him in the NBA

Former Duke fan-favorite Maliq Brown made his NBA Summer League debut for the San Antonio Spurs at the California Classic on Friday night. Brown was selected by the Spurs in the 2nd Round of the draft and is looking to carve out a role in the league.

Brown was known for his defense and hustle play during his time in Durham, two traits that will serve him well in the NBA. But his swing skill will be his ability to knock down open three-pointers. If he can do that consistently, then there's a place for Brown in the NBA for a long time.

If his Summer League debut was any indication, Brown has clearly been putting in the work.

Against the Miami Heat, Brown scored 10 points with 3 rebounds and two stocks in 22 minutes. More importantly, he knocked down 2-of-4 attempts from three. That'll do:

Maliq Brown displays improved three-point shooting in Summer League debut

Brown is smart. He knows what it's going to take to crack an NBA rotation. He's not quite big enough to play the bulk of his minutes at the five, so he's going to have to play the four. Most fours in the NBA are quality three-point shooters. Brown knows that is what he'll have to develop into in order to be more than just a defensive specialist in the NBA.

Obviously, one single 2-of-4 day is not enough to prove that his shot has come around. But it's a good start. In his two seasons at Duke, Brown only had one game in which he made multiple three-pointers across the 64 games he played for the Blue Devils.

Last season, Brown shot just 5-of-30 (16.7%) from three-point range. He hit 16-of-61 (26.2%) across his four-year college career. He doesn't need to magically turn into a 40% shooter from distance, but if he can reliably knock down 35% or so, it's going to be difficult to keep him off the court.

Brown is the consummate glue guy. He's the player who is going to do all the little things to win basketball games. There's value in that, even if he can't shoot, as he proved the last two seasons at Duke. He was the ACC's Defensive Player of the Year for a reason, and arguably the single most impactful defender in the country.

But if his shot comes around, Brown is going to stick in the league for a long time as a key rotational piece on a contending team.

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