Corey Brewer, Then and Now

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

One thing we haven't examined much is how Corey Brewer's game has evolved since he first left Minnesota a couple years ago.

Let's start with what hasn't changed. First, I can't think of anyone that doesn't admire Brewer's hustle and energy. That's been with him since his Florida days. As a contrast in style, I remember last season watching Mickael Gelabale and urging him to just do something, anything! That won't be a problem with Corey Brewer.

The second thing that hasn't changed is his ability to create turnovers. The guy gets steals and draws charges at a pretty elite rate, always has. He's a Top 10 wing in both categories.

Third, he still can't shoot. You can refer to the other thread I created on this topic. Yes, he has certain parts of the floor that are "hot spots" in any given season, but so does everyone else. Plus his spots change from year to year, so you can't really bank on any trends and then set him up in certain spots. When you add it all up, he still has one of the more shaky jumpers in the league.

Lastly, the guy can transition from defense to offense faster than anyone in the league (and no, I don't have a stat on that one!).

So Brewer in a lot of ways is the same player he was a few years ago with the Wolves. But his game has changed in some subtle and not so subtle ways. Both his foul rate and turnover rate have fallen by about a third since his first couple of years in the league. Those aren't the type of stats folks gravitate to right away, but they do matter. If you can play solid defense without sending people to the line and then not throw the ball away on the other end, that adds up. Combine that with his ability to create turnovers (steals and drawing charges) and he definitely can be a big-time contributor to winning the possession battle.

As for his offense, I talked about his shooting in terms of what hasn't changed (it's still bad). What's baffling is how his usage rate has ballooned since his first couple of years in the league, to the point that last year he led Denver in this category! I suppose being an active, movement-oriented player yields a lot of opportunities, but geez, he was jacking up shots from hither and tither last season. Not good for a guy with a career 49 TS%.

I can't really comment on his positional defense because I honestly haven't watched him much the last couple of years. The advanced stats suggest that he's a good, but not great, defender. When he was with the Wolves, his high activity level was great to watch, but I remember him trying to guard the entire team at times, only to leave his guy wide open for an easy 3 (we were one of the worst 3-point defenses in the league during his stay with us; I know, it wasn't just him....Oh, and Denver was in the bottom half in this category last season too). In terms of his rebounding and passing, he's competent in both categories, being neither a plus or minus.

As we've discussed ad nauseam, Corey Brewer should not have a significant role in our half court offense. Love, Martin, Pek, Budinger, and even D-Will and Barea should be above him in the pecking order of shots. If his role is limited to defense, energy plays, and transition, I suspect he could have a very solid year for us.

[AbeVigodaLive]

Basically, Brewer is a rotation energy guy on a decent team, but overwhelmed when given more responsibility on a bad one?

[Jakapoo [enjin:6588675]]

Basically, Brewer is a rotation energy guy on a decent team, but overwhelmed when given more responsibility on a bad one?

Exactly. He is an essential piece to successful teams, but detrimental to bad teams looking for improvement.

[KiwiMatt]

When I first read the header of this topic I wasn't sure if you were talking about Brewer's game or his receeding hairline.......

Q you summed it up pretty well. There's only two shots that Brewer should be allowed to take; a transition dunk and a wide open corner 3. He needs to except the Trenton Hassel role.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

Basically, Brewer is a rotation energy guy on a decent team, but overwhelmed when given more responsibility on a bad one?

Exactly. He is an essential piece to successful teams, but detrimental to bad teams looking for improvement.

Not sure it's that simple guys. Last year was probably his best year. And people would say, well yeah, it's because he was an energy guy coming off the bench on a team deep with talent. On the other hand, as I mentioned above, he led the team in usage rate and launched more three pointers than everyone except Gallo. It's not like he just played a niche role and excelled at it 15-18 MPG. He carried a pretty heavy load for Denver when on the court.

I actually think he could be more effective if he throttled back a notch or two and did in fact try to be more of a niche player - regardless of what kind of team he's on.

[Lipoli390]

Great post, Q.

Perhaps the thing I like most about Corey is that you always know what you're going to get from him evey minute of every game he's on the floor. That may seem like a little thing, but I think it's a pretty bigmdeal. You put him on the floor and his teammates know they can count on him to do certain things well all the time. So he not only puts up his own numbers, he enhances the production of his teammates because they can confidently play off him knowing exactly what they'll get from him.. They know they will get extra touches because of the turnovers he causes, which energizes them. They know they should be alert for loose balls knocked free through Corey's aggressive defense. They know they can look to outlet the ball right away on a defensive rebound, confident that Corey will be sprinting down the court. They know they have to hustle and show energy because Corey will be hustling and playing at a high energy level.

[bleedspeed]

Great points. I am happy to have Corey back. Price seemed higher then I was thinking but I like him more then Budinger on this team. I hope he makes Shabazz work his tail off on practice.