Graduated Michigan wing Chaundee Brown didn’t receive a coveted NBA Combine offer, but most would agree his stock went up after an impressive showing at the G-League Elite Camp Saturday through Monday in Chicago.
Several weeks after helping lead the Wolverines to the Elite Eight, averaging 8.0 points, 3.1 rebounds and shooting 48.8 percent from the floor (41.9 from long range), Brown showed off his skills against some of the best of the rest NBA Draft prospects. Though he notched only five points and three rebounds on 2-of-7 shooting, going only 1-for-4 from the free throw line and finishing plus-four in a win Monday, he was outstanding Sunday. He was plus-20 in a four-point win, recording 12 points, a few steals and eight rebounds to go along with his usual tenacious defense.
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He came into the camp with nothing to lose and a vote of confidence from coach Juwan Howard.
“Two days ago, he texted saying, ‘you know you can play. Just go out there and be yourself.’ That’s what I did,” Brown said. “He told DeVante’ [Jones], Mike [Smith] and Hunter [Dickinson] the same thing. ‘You’re’ Michigan guys.' We showed we can play hard, and we can win.
“[His support] means a lot. He brought me in and knew what I could do, watched me on film when I transferred in from Wake Forest. He knew what I could do, and he saw it every day in practice.”
He left it on the floor every day because that’s what Howard demanded, he noted, something he shared with Jones, the Coastal Carolina transfer guard who scored a team-leading 15 points in his first game.
Jones is well aware the stakes go up if he arrives at Michigan next year, as expected.
“Most definitely,” Brown continued. “[Howard] is real with you. You come in slacking in practice, suck that day, he’ll tell you that you suck. He just wants you to be the best. He’s a winner. That’s why I came to Michigan last year — to win — and that’s what we did.
“I didn’t switch anything up [in Chicago], and I don’t know why I’d need to. I got here for a reason, so why switch things up? Shoot the ball, defend, rebound … that’s it.”
He looked the part of an NBA wing at times, and he’ll get his shot to prove it going forward. If his jump shot remains consistent, he’ll have a legit shot as an energy guy off the bench in the League.
Either way, he’ll be making a lot of money playing the game he loves for a long time by doing what he does best.
“Same thing each game — bring the energy,” he said. “I’m just getting started. The job isn’t done yet.”
And it won’t be until he puts the shoes on for the last time.
No matter what, he said, he knows he always has somewhere he can turn to get some support. Howard made that clear to him before he went to Chicago.
“After my season, I didn’t know if I was going to come back or not, but he just said he had my back; Michigan is my home, and I can come back, call them and come work out in the Michigan gym any time I want,” Brown said. “Even when I decided to sign with an agent, try my NBA career, he was all for it, still talking to me. He was no different.
“I can hit him up anytime about anything. He tells DeVante’ the same thing. Whatever decision he decides, he’ll be around for it. Juwan played in college, the NBA, tested the waters and was where we were right now. He played in college for three years, knows what we’re thinking.”
And has put his support behind them 100 percent to ensure they get the best opportunities possible, something for which Brown will always be thankful.
His best seems yet to come.
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