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Five Things To Know About Lexie Brown

The Lynx took a chance on a former first round draft pick who never really managed to find her footing in her first year in Connecticut when they traded the No. 18 pick in this year’s draft for Lexie Brown. Brown’s role in the WNBA is as a strong defender and a good shooter and she could definitely help the Lynx by providing valuable minutes off the bench. The Lynx scouted Brown heavily before the 2018 WNBA draft and were hoping she would fall to them at No. 12, but Brown was taken at No. 9 by the Sun.

Here are a few things to know: 

She’s A Shooter

Brown can knock it down from deep, something that will come in handy on the Lynx. She hasn’t exactly lit the world on fire so far in the WNBA, but Brown did shoot a decent 31 percent from the three. She’ll need to improve that number to really make an impact but looking at her college numbers there’s definitely reason to believe she hasn’t hit her ceiling there. In the 2016-17 season Brown shot 39.9 percent from three, in 2017-18 she hit 37.1 percent. If she can get back to those numbers in the WNBA, she’ll be an extremely valuable player for the Lynx.

She’s On Her Way To Becoming A Great Defender 

In her final college season, Brown showed off her extremely quick hands and long reach and collected 122 steals over 33 games for an average of 3.7 steals per game. That’s an elite number. At 5’9’’ Brown has the size to defend both point guards and shooting guards in the WNBA. Brown already has the tools to be a nuisance on the perimeter for opposing players—if she can get a little stronger, she could develop into a lockdown defender. Seeing how the Lynx’s roster is coming together, they have a chance to be a very good defensive team. Brown could be a big part of that.

She’s No Stranger To Pro Basketball

Brown is the daughter of former NBA point guard Dee Brown who played for 12 years at the pro level, most notably with the Boston Celtics. Lexie Brown is her own player, but being raised by an NBA point guard certainly doesn’t hurt when it comes to understanding what it takes to succeed at the professional level. Brown’s first year in the WNBA was a bit rocky as she was never able to find her footing with the Sun, but she’s still very young and she could quickly turn things around in Minnesota.

She’s An Underrated Playmaker 

While it’s her potential as a defender and a three-point shooter that make Brown a tantalizing prospect, she’s also more than capable of running an offense. Brown averaged 4.4 assists per game her final year at Duke and served as the team’s primary point guard and was one of the best distributors in the NCAA. Brown won’t be starting at point guard, at least not in the immediate future, but she can definitely run a bench unit for stretches.

She’s Excited To Be In Minnesota 

Brown’s WNBA career didn’t get off to the start she wanted. She doesn’t hold any ill will towards Connecticut, but Brown is excited to get a fresh start. She feels, as do the Lynx, that she has the talent to be a contributor at the WNBA level. Even the weather up north doesn’t seem to bother her.

Welcome to Minnesota, Lexie.