1. Troy Brown
Perhaps nobody on this team needs to improve more than Troy Brown Jr. If there’s a glaring weakness on this roster, it’s at the wing position, and TBJ is the man who will have to step up and fill that hole if the roster stands pat this offseason and all the Washington Wizards do is re-sign Davis Bertans.
Troy Brown has shown flashes, with the ability to score at will and the court vision to match. He’s scored 18 or more points in eight games this season, and four or more assists in 13 games. Perhaps more importantly, he’s recorded two or more steals in 19 games.
That’s good enough for 26th in the NBA in steals, but where he really needs to step up is in his consistency. In just as many games he’s had 18 or more points, he’s had four or fewer points. In 20 games, he’s had 1 or less assist, and seven games without an assist to his name.
If Troy Brown can lock down his position with some consistency, it will be scary to see what this team can do as he can give John Wall or Bradley Beal a rest from having to bear the brunt of the offensive burden, and let those guys save it all for the finishing moments.
What would a jump look like? I’d say 15 points and 4 assists per game should be his target. The rebounds and steals can stay exactly the same, or even rise as he sees his minutes climb a bit from 25.8 minutes per game.
Who else made the jump? A good comparison for that kind of jump would be Bam Adebayo last season, though he rebounds a bit more and steals a bit less than Troy Brown obviously. Scottie Pippen‘s 1989-1990 season was extremely similar too, though Scottie was an elite defender and averaged twice as many blocks.