3 bench players who could swing an NBA Playoffs series

1. Bruce Brown, Denver Nuggets

Denver is running away with the one-seed in the West, but that hasn’t stopped doubters from wondering if this is all a mirage. Sure, Denver will be the heavy favorites in the first round, but what happens if they run into Phoenix or Golden State in Round 2?

Enter Bruce Brown.

Brown provides the two-way dynamism the Nuggets have sorely lacked in previous seasons. He has unparalleled flexibility for a 6-foot-5 wing, but the Nuggets primarily use him to lock down an opposing team’s best point guard: his top defensive matchups are against Luka Doncic, Russell Westbrook, and Damian Lillard.

Brown’s chaotic off-ball talent is thriving next to Nikola Jokic, with whom he’s developed an uncanny telepathy — cutting into space at weird angles (he’s hitting a career-high 72 percent at the rim, feasting on tasty Jokic dimes), setting impromptu ballscreens, feeding Jokic on the block. Perhaps most importantly, however, Bruce has become a willing and able bomber from deep.

Long a reluctant shooter, Brown still receives the green light from opposing defenses, but he’s making them pay this year. Brown is shooting 38 percent from 3 on 3.4 attempts per game, by far his career-high in attempts.

Missing Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. in last year’s playoffs, the Nuggets got smacked by a Warriors team that played Jokic straight up and took away other options. The return of those two will make that tactic significantly harder, but Brown’s ability to act as a secondary ballhandler knifing into the paint and spraying out to shooters will further pierce a similar defensive strategy. His 16.5 assist percentage is well above the average for wings, and he’s capable of creating unconventional looks:

Bruce is second on the Nuggets with six drives per game, an important counterweight to Jokic’s paint presence. His ability to handle the ball and play point guard relieves Murray and provides a nice insurance plan if newly-acquired Reggie Jackson can’t get up to speed by the playoffs.

Speaking of which, Brown will need to prove that his shooting isn’t a fluke in the playoffs. Defenses are much quicker to adjust in a seven-game series, but they will almost certainly make Brown prove that he can reliably hit from outside when it matters most. His ability to do so will be a major swing factor in any Nuggets series.

Unlike Quickley or Monk, Brown isn’t likely to drop 30 points per game. His impact has never been truly conveyed by statistics, but there’s incredible value in constant movement and strong, versatile defense. Even when Brown isn’t open, his sprints through the lane and clever relocations on the perimeter open up new avenues for Jokic and his teammates. If the Nuggets are to fulfill their dreams and win the championship, Brown will need to be at the center of things.

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