Former St. Joseph’s forward Charlie Brown feeling good after Sixers predraft workout
Brown said he was out to prove to NBA teams that he has plenty of fire in his game.
St. Joseph’s Charlie Brown was out to prove during the NBA predraft process that he had plenty of fire.
One thing that has been questioned has been Brown’s motor, and it’s something Brown readily acknowledged after participating in a 76ers predraft workout Tuesday.
“Most teams say I can really shoot the ball well and I am a good defender,” Brown said.
But …
“Some teams said they need to see a little more fire in me,” he said. “I think I showed them in all the workouts. I showed a little bit of everything.”
Did it bother him that teams questioned if he played hard all the time?
“Not really,” he said. “I took that as motivation.”
Sixers general manger Elton Brand said Brown’s energy couldn’t have been better at Tuesday’s workout when asked his evaluation.
“Talented player, he really competed,” Brand said. “That is what I like to see in these workouts because we have seen him all year, when they come and compete.”
The Sixers were the ninth team Brown has worked out for. The others were Brooklyn, San Antonio, Oklahoma City, Milwaukee, Charlotte, Sacramento, Golden State, and the Los Angeles Clippers.
Brown added that the decision to cast his lot in the NBA had nothing to do with the firing at the end of the season of coach Phil Martelli.
Brown said he had decided before the college season that he would be turning professional.
“Me and coach Phil Martelli talked about this at the beginning of the season,” said Brown, who turned 22 in February. “He thought it was a great idea.”
Brown led the Atlantic 10 in scoring, averaging 19 points per game.
His long-range shooting is desired, although Brown had his ups and down, eventually shooting 35.6 percent from beyond the arc.
Brown says he is confident entering Thursday’s draft, much more so than the mock drafts, many of which don’t have him listed as being selected in the two rounds.
“I have been talking to teams, and my agent Andre Buck said late-first, early-second [round],” Brown said.
Brown, who was MVP of the Philadelphia Public League Division B as a member of George Washington in 2014-15 season, says it would be a dream come true to play for the Sixers, who draft 24th in the first round and 33rd, 34th, 42nd, and 54th in the second round.
Also at the workout on Tuesday were Houston junior guard Armoni Brooks, Villanova senior guard Joe Cremo, Virginia junior combo guard Kyle Guy (the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player), Nebraska 6-6 redshirt senior James Palmer, and 6-7 Yovel Zoosman, who played for Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Of these other five players, Guy and Palmer appear to have the best chance to be drafted.
Guy, who participated in his 13th predraft workout, is best known for making three free throws with 0.6 seconds left in Virginia’s 63-62 NCAA semifinal win over Auburn. He then added 24 points in the Cavaliers’ 85-77 overtime win over Texas Tech in the NCAA title game.
“It was a crazy run,” Guy said of the Cavs’ road to the championship. “I don’t have the words, It doesn’t really feel real at this moment; someday it will and I will call you up.”
Villanova’s Cremo replaced Darius Bazley, the 6-9 forward who skipped college after his high school graduation in 2018. He signed with the Klutch Sports Group and accepted a three-month internship worth $1 million at New Balance.
Typically, when players cancel predraft, they have a guarantee from a team. Bazley could be a late first-round or early second-round pick.
Cremo was happy to get the chance. After averaging 17.8 points in 2017-18 for Albany, he became a graduate transfer at Villanova, where he averaged 4.0 points.
In addition to the Sixers, Cremo also had predraft workouts with Brooklyn and Washington.
“My dream has always been to play in the NBA no matter how long it takes me to get there,” Cremo said. “I am open to a lot. I am looking at overseas, but hoping to try and make it to like a G League [team] or a training camp, just an opportunity and I will try to make the most it, but I have to prove myself all over again.”