Maliq Brown was a fan-favorite in Durham during his two seasons with the Blue Devils. It's not going to take long before he's the same for the San Antonio Spurs.
The 2nd round pick has already been doing what he always does on the basketball court: making an impact without scoring or needing the ball in his hands.
The Spurs got the full Maliq Brown experience on Thursday night in their Las Vegas Summer League opener, even in a blowout defeat.
Brown played 23 minutes, missed both his shots from the field, and only scored two points thanks to a pair of free throws. He grabbed four rebounds and came up with three steals. While the Spurs lost by 27, Brown led the starting group for San Antonio with a -7 in +/-. That may not seem impressive, but considering the Spurs lost by 27, it means they were seven points worse than the Hawks in his 23 minutes on the floor and 20 points worse in the 17 minutes he was on the bench.
That's quite the difference.
The Spurs are already seeing the impact Maliq Brown can make in Summer League
Brown's ability to be a legitimate playoff rotation player in the future for the Spurs, or elsewhere, will depend on his ability to shoot from distance. He knocked down 2-of-4 attempts in his Summer League debut at the California Classic last week, but he's still got a long way to go.
In Vegas, he showed the skills that are going to make it difficult to keep him off the court, regardless. Brown is just a winner. He's the consummate glue guy who does all the little things to help you win games. That didn't culminate in a win on Thursday night against Atlanta, but the Spurs were much, much better when he was on the floor than when he was off.
Duke fans are well accustomed to that. He never had to put the ball through the hoop to be one of the most impactful players in college basketball over his two seasons with the Blue Devils. That appears to be carrying over to the NBA.
Brown will look to continue that when the Spurs are back in action on Saturday at 6pm ET against the New York Knicks. The game will be televised by ESPN, giving Duke fans a chance to watch Brown for the first time as a pro.
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