Moses Brown was reportedly signed to a two-way deal on Thursday after his second 10-day contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers expired on Wednesday. While this does make the big man ineligible for a potential playoff run with Cleveland, it gives Brown some roster security and a potential role on the team given his recent play and optimism from the front office.
Brown has appeared in 10 games with the Cavs, starting in three of them. Since joining the team, the 22-year-old has averaged 6.1 points per game on 67.6 percent shooting from the field, while playing an average of 11.5 minutes per game.
While these numbers aren’t anything to write home about, it’s worth noting that before making his debut as a starter, Brown was playing just 5.4 minutes per game with most of his minutes coming in garbage time.
Since becoming a starter in wake of Evan Mobley‘s ankle injury, Moses Brown has made his presence felt on the team. In the three games Brown has started, he’s averaged 14.3 points per game and 11.7 rebounds, while shooting a staggering 77.2 percent from the field. In the same stretch, Brown has also produced the best offensive and defensive rating on the team, getting the job done on both ends of the floor.
Brown could be a solid piece for the Cavs to have looking onward, and has done a nice job filling in of late.
Moses Brown was never supposed to be a long-term replacement for Jarrett Allen or Evan Mobley, but he has shown the ability to fill in when needed, and has done a nice job. He’s done exactly what the team could have hoped to get from him. He’s a giant of a man that can run the floor, corral rebounds and dunk the basketball. Honestly, you can’t ask for much more in a temporary replacement for Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley.
What impresses me the most about Moses Brown is his connection with Darius Garland in halfcourt sets. Despite the loss to the Dallas Mavericks, their connection really shined. All of Brown’s field goals came from Darius Garland assists, with the exception of one dump-off pass from Lauri Markkanen that led to a dunk.
The go-to play for Garland and Brown has been, of course, the pick-and-roll, which has taken advantage of Garland’s passing wizardry. It’s also hard to stop a player that stands at 7-foot-2, who can roll hard to the basket in Brown. However, there have also been instances where Brown has shown the ability to cut off the ball without the help of a screen and deliver some powerful jams.
Another aspect of his game that shouldn’t go unnoticed is his knack for getting to the dunkers’ spot and making himself available for dump-off passes when the defense crashes to the driving ball-handler. This might be a common trait among big men, but he seems to excel at it.
In the win over the New York Knicks, Brown really came into his own as an offensive focal point. He scored 16 points on 70 percent shooting from the field, while snagging 13 rebounds. What’s even more impressive is that he did this, primarily, against defensive specialist Mitchell Robinson.
With the injuries that have plagued the Cavaliers this season, they could use all of the depth they can get. Given his recent play, Moses Brown should be brought back next season as a developmental piece and a potential rotation piece behind Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley.