Shannon Brown is a Spur, which means WE GET TO WATCH MORE DUNK SHOTS
The Spurs announced on Saturday they have officially signed shooting guard Shannon Brown to a 10-day contract and have released Othyus Jeffers to make room. San Antonio’s backcourt rotation has been decimated by injury, so this transaction makes quite a bit of sense.
Brown is a 6-foot-4, 210-pound hyper-athletic guard with a giant wingspan and an already NBA-polished resume. Plus, the seven-year pro is well known for doing this particular move called a slam dunk, an exciting human feat accomplished much farther off the ground than those of us around the Spurs are accustomed to witnessing. (Thanks to Jeff Ayres for enlightening us.) They’re actually pretty darn fun.
It’s actually pretty interesting Brown has been a free agent for so long, as he’s been a solid rotation player in this league for quite a while now. He most recently played for the Phoenix Suns, where he appeared in 118 games from 2011-13 and averaged 10.7 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 23.7 minutes per game.
Brown can get streaky hot, too. He’s most known for his athleticism but he’s very capable of getting his shot going from the perimeter. His numbers from outside have been very inconsistent throughout his career, and Brown was a terrible 3-point shooter in Phoenix last season; but you’ve got to think that wasn’t the most enjoyable place to play basketball after coming from those recent Lakers title-winning teams.
You may recall this game a couple of years ago, where Brown registered a career-high 32 points against the Spurs.
Given the current state of San Antonio’s roster, any competent athlete would be a solid addition; but Brown has proven himself as a cog on a championship team, so this is more than just a warm body. With Manu Ginobili, Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green all nursing injuries, the high-flyer is likely going to see playing time immediately (he will be available against the Kings on Saturday).
Time will tell if Brown plays well enough to stick around for the rest of the season, but his athleticism and experience should be a huge help to a Spurs team that’s currently lacking in that department, even when it’s healthy. I’ve always enjoyed the spark and energy Brown brings to the court, not to mention the fact he can fill it up. So this could be a good pick-up for San Antonio, but again, I’m not sure why he wasn’t already with a team. That raises a little bit of a red-ish flag in my mind.
Regardless, Shannon Brown is a Spur, and I’m pretty pumped about that. It’s going to be interesting to watch how he fits in with this team. San Antonio has been good to other young, veteran players looking to revamp their careers (Danny Green, Marco Belinelli), so maybe this will be a kick in the pants for Brown.
The Spurs surely hope Brown will provide a kick to theirs.
