Getty Moses Brown, Mavericks
Reserve big man Moses Brown has seen an uptick in minutes over the last four games for the Mavs and in those games his production shows he deserves more opportunities.
On the season, Brown is averaging just 6.5 minutes per game with averages of 3.7 points and 2.2 rebounds. In the last four games He has played 12.6 minutes per game while scoring 8.3 points, grabbing 5.0 rebounds and shooting 56.3% from the field.
So far, Brown has only played in 13 games this season, but when he has played he has a Player Efficiency Rating of 24.4, according to Basketball-Reference.com. If he had played more games and kept up the same production Brown’s efficiency rating would be Top 10 in the league.
Moses Brown’s History
Brown is just 22 years old and is currently in his third season in the NBA, with his third team. Previously, he played for the Blazers and Thunder. During his rookie season Brown appeared in just nine games for Portland averaging 1.2 points and 1.6 rebounds per game. I
n his second season, with Oklahoma City, Brown was productive, in 43 games he averaged 8.6 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. He played one season in college at UCLA and went undrafted after averaging 9.7 points and 8.3 rebounds.
How Does Brown Make the Mavs Better?
With the way the Mavericks have struggled so far this season, especially at center, it’s fair to say that Brown could help them in a number of statistical categories. On the offensive end Brown’s scoring off the bench could be a positive for a team that scores just 103.8 points per game, ranking them 26th in the league. The Mavs have also struggled shooting the ball this season ranking 22nd in the league with a 44.2% field goal percentage.
Brown is shooting 68.4% from the field so far this season and his ability to get and make easy shots could help Dallas in the paint.
The Mavericks have also struggled rebounding the ball this season. They currently average 43.4 rebounds per game, which ranks just 26th in the league. Brown averaged 8.9 rebounds per game last season with the Thunder and could be a big help to the Mavs on the boards. He could also help the team on the defensive end, currently Dallas ranks 27th in the league in shots blocked per game with 4.1.
Brown over the last four games has blocked 1.0 shot per game and blocked 1.1 shots per game last season. Defense is something that head coach Jason Kidd has specifically voiced his concern about recently, so playing Brown more would make sense on the defensive end.
Not Much to Lose
The Mavs are a team that lacks depth on the interior and it’s something that’s plagued them all season. Brown can provide some needed depth and help the team in a number of ways to improve Dallas in the short term.
Even if you look at the long term there are multiple reason why playing Brown could benefit the Mavs. For one, as a young player who has played well in a limited role it’s safe to say that if Brown is ever going to take the next step as a player that he’ll have to play more minutes. Giving Brown the chance to come a bigger contributor could immediately improve this Mavs team. Kidd has even expressed recently that Brown deserves more minutes.
Another reason the Mavs should consider more playing time for Brown is the potential to use him as a valuable trade piece. With Brown being as young as he is more minutes and more productivity could interest teams that are in sell now mode as we head towards the trade deadline.