2. Bruce Brown
Brown won an NBA Title in 2023 with the Denver Nuggets, one season after leaving Brooklyn. Brown signed a two-year contract with Denver but opted after year one, looking for a big payday. He found that payday with the Indiana Pacers, signing a two-year $45 million deal. The former Net flourished playing alongside Nikola Jokic and is now playing with Tyrese Haliburton, another player who improves everyone around him. Brown has helped the Pacers start the year with the best offensive rating in the league.
Taken with the 42nd pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, Brown started his career with the Detroit Pistons. After two seasons with Detroit, they shipped him off to Brooklyn in a 3-team deal that involved a bunch of second-round picks and role players. Being the perfect glue guy for the Durant-era Nets, Brown sometimes helped with ball-handling duties. Brown, who often faced challenging defensive guarding assignments, averaged 9.4 points per game during two playoff runs with the Nets.
The former Miami Hurricane has started this season averaging 11.3 points per game and shooting 45.6%. He ranks 54th in plus/minus this season with a +45. He’s a do-it-all kind of player that can fit anywhere. His time with Jokic made him a better passer and a more intelligent player. He can take advantage of smaller players in the post and hold his own against bigger players.