On March 25, 2021, the Bulls traded for 21 year-old Troy Brown Jr., who was in his 3rd season as a NBA player and a member of the Washington Wizards. The Bulls gave their second-year player Daniel Gafford and third-year player Chandler Hutchison to the Wizards in this deal. The Bulls received Troy Brown Jr. and fourth-year player Mo Wagner, who they ended up trading to the Celtics.
When the Bulls first traded for Brown my first opinion was that it was a very underrated move. Brown added good perimeter defense and versatility, which the Bulls needed badly. Also, he is a young player that the bulls can develop to have a part of their future. Brown has had ups and downs in his young NBA career so far but a change of scenery could really get the best out of him.
After the trade, Troy Brown Jr played in 13 games with the Bulls before missing the last 15 games of the season due to a sprained left ankle. In the 13 games Brown played, he averaged 5.5 points, 3.4 rebounds and 0.8 assists, with a field goal percentage of 52.7% and shooting 33% from 3. Brown also had a defensive rating of 112.5 with the Bulls in those games. The things that stood out about Brown the most was that he was a very good defender, good rebounder and he always hustled. These 3 things made Brown a fan favorite in a very short time frame. Bulls fans loved him already just because of how hard he played
The game that stood out to me the most about Troy Brown Jr. was against the Brooklyn Nets on April 4, 2021. In this game Brown played 28 mintues and finished with 6 points and 7 rebounds, but the thing he did very well was slowing down Kyrie Irving. When Brown was guarding Irving he was 1-5 from the field in that time frame.
Is Troy Brown Jr. a part of the Bulls future? In my opinion yes because Brown is a young player that fits with the Bulls needs; his defense is very important to this team. If Brown can develop a 3 point shot and become a 3 and D type player he would be a very important player on this team for years to come.
The grade I will give Troy Brown Jr is a B.