Bruce Brown knows his role. Although he’s in the starting lineup, he’s not a bulk scorer and isn’t a primary offensive player. Many times, when he gets the ball, it’s an open shot because his defender double-teams to help out on Blake Griffin or Andre Drummond.
In the past 20 games, Brown had scored in double figures just twice. His 12 points against the Hawks on Friday was built from aggressive play and some plays in transition. Some back-and-forth trash talk with Hawks rookie Trae Young stoked his fire and brought out his strongest attribute — defense.