WASHINGTON — Troy Brown stayed late after Tuesday’s practice to get up shots. He started about 16 feet from the rim and eventually made his way out to the 3-point line.
He sank darn near every one of those looks. The percentage of jumpers NBA players can swish in an open gym is mind-blowing. But the thing is, these weren’t jump shots. They were flat-footed flings that resembled a jumper until he actually had to leave the ground — because Brown, who has been nursing a strained left calf since the end of September, still can’t rise.
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He won’t play in the Wizards’ preseason finale Friday at Philadelphia. He could undoubtedly miss games beyond the Oct. 23 regular-season opener in Dallas.
What should have been an integral training camp for a 20-year-old entering his second NBA season is about to dissipate into productivity’s greatest enemy: Lost time.
“When it happened, I was really upset, but I had to look at the big picture,” Brown said. “It could be a lot worse. It could (have) happened in the middle of the season. I could be out 20 games and have to deal with that. So I just kinda tried to look at the biggest picture of things and not be so down.”
Brown didn’t get hurt until just before training camp, when he caught a pass while scrimmaging and in an effort to drive to the hoop “pushed off and felt a pop,” he said, in his left calf. On Sep. 24, the Wizards set a four-week timetable for his return. The word was, he had looked vastly improved before that.
He spent much of the summer in his hometown, a wholesome, little, western village called Las Vegas. Loads of pros, including Brown, work out and scrimmage with trainers at IMPACT, a popular training facility out there. People at those runs have pointed out how well he performed.
Same goes for the guys who saw him during the few weeks he was able to participate in the Wizards’ optional-but-not-so-optional minicamp, which the group held from the beginning of September until training camp began on Oct. 1. The minicamp, which nearly every member of the roster attended, was where Brown got hurt. But for a few weeks before, teammates got to see the development.
“We all would want him to be out there playing,” Ish Smith said before ramping up a review of Brown. “His talent and his ability is second to none. … He was very, very impressive.”
Brown didn’t receive consistent playing time last year until the end of February, but this year was going to be different. If the Wizards could do 2018-19 over again, they would give the at-the-time rookie consistent minutes far earlier in the season. If he were healthy today, Brown would be a lock to start at small forward, especially with C.J. Miles also out because of a foot injury.
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Washington doesn’t want to repeat its mistakes with its young guys. Everyone from general manager Tommy Sheppard to coach Scott Brooks to Bradley Beal has emphasized development and long-term goals over short-term planning. Growing Brown, who the team selected with the No. 15 pick in the 2018 draft, into a helpful contributor certainly fits that bill.
The Wizards need to find out what Brown can do for them, too. Is he a point guard? A shooting guard? A small forward? He’ll tell you he’s all three. “I feel like I play 1 through 3. I’m just a basketball player,” he said. He can facilitate and believes he can distribute like a 1, but could he also guard smaller point guards? Scouts have always wondered about his athleticism and foot speed.
There’s more. Will he learn how to shoot after hitting only 32 percent of 3-pointers as a rookie, when most of his jumpers were open? Will he become the cerebral team defender that appears possible, given how quickly his mind processes just about anything? Will he develop into a legitimate floor general, or will he top out as someone who’s better running competent pick-and-rolls as a secondary facilitator?
He seems destined to be an elite rebounder, no matter which position he plays most. He showed off more patience at summer league when his cadence leading the summer Wizards stood out. Instead of going into actions as soon as teammates scurried to screen for him, for example, he flowed around picks and found targets in proper moments. Sure, the plays came against summer leaguers, but adding a quiet rhythm to his game was encouraging.
“Personally, it’s just being more aggressive and having more confidence in myself, honestly,” Brown said. “Last year, I felt like I took a backseat role just because of how young I was and being around all of the veterans and dealing with a ton of games and figuring out what coach wanted for me and stuff like that. But I feel like this year is just to go out and play with confidence.”
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NBA players will attest that a player’s second training camp is his most important. Brown is only 20 years old, but this is Year 2 now. He knows the speed of the game a little better. He understands more where to be on the court. Maybe most importantly, he’s familiar with the day-to-day NBA life. He knows the drive to work, where the locker room is, how to best plan out his day, so he’s well-rested.
“Second-year players need a training camp,” Brooks said. “It’s unfortunate with Troy being out for most of if not all of camp. The game does slow down with second-year players.”
Brooks knows that once the season starts, it’s not like teaching moments vanish. Brown will still learn. Brooks will still coach. Young players will still develop.
But in the preseason, there’s no game planning. There’s little exploration into opponents’ strategies. There aren’t many off-days, and there aren’t exhausting moments that turn less productive because the schedule gods decided to place three games in four nights. Preseason is the time when the coaches and Brown alike can channel energy into watering and growing.
The Wizards have a young roster. They’re trying to do the same with guys like Thomas Bryant, Rui Hachimura, Moe Wagner and others. It would’ve been helpful to have Brown as part of that group.
“He watches practice, picks up things,” Brooks said. “I try to talk to him, stay in his ear. … We can’t take back the last two or three weeks. When he’s ready, he’s gonna have some practice under his belt. He still had some good minutes the last part of (last) season, so he kinda knows what he needs to do. It’s too bad, but we gotta look forward and move on. And when he comes back, he’ll be ready.”
(Photo: Stephen Gosling / NBAE via Getty Images)