Malcolm Brogdon is better fit for Pacers than D’Angelo Russell anyway
Many Indiana Pacers fans wanted the team to go after D’Angelo Russell in free agency. Instead, Indy wound up with Malcolm Brogdon. Luckily, he’s a better fit for the team anyway.
When free agency kicked off Sunday evening, there was much speculation about what direction the Indiana Pacers would go this summer. Would Indy finally haul in a star, add some middling talent, or simply opt to run it back with mostly the same roster as last year? In a move that shocked the league, the Pacers got aggressive and pulled off a sign-and-trade for Malcolm Brogdon of the Milwaukee Bucks.
For many fans, this was an unexpected move. The general vibe going into free agency was that the dream target of Pacers Twitter was D’Angelo Russell, and for good reason. Russell was a first time all-star last season and has shown tremendous improvement and growth since being traded from the Lakers to the Nets.
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However, the Pacers’ front office opted instead to ring up their division rival to work a deal for a different guard. Perhaps Russell was simply uninterested in meeting with the Pacers, or maybe Indy just didn’t want to make a run at him and end up offering a max contract. Regardless, Russell is now a Warrior alongside Stephen Curry, and Malcolm Brogdon will hold down the backcourt with Victor Oladipo whenever he returns.
Truth be told, this is the outcome we all should have wanted anyway. Russell’s ceiling might technically be higher with that one all-star appearance already under his belt, but there’s no denying that Brogdon looks to be a fantastic player for years to come as well.
One stat to look at when determining a player’s fit on a team is his usage. Last season, D’Angelo had a hefty usage rate of nearly 32%. The year prior, it was still high at nearly 31%. This isn’t inherently a bad thing, but it shows that Russell’s great season last year can partially be attributed to the fact that he had the ball in his hands so often for the Nets.
In comparison, Victor Oladipo’s usage was about 30% in his first year with the Indiana Pacers, and right around 28% this last season. Oladipo is another ball-dominant guard that’s able to create offense when he’s in control, so putting a guy next to him like Russell that also needs the ball in his hands to succeed could have been questionable in terms of fit.
In contrast, Malcolm Brogdon had the highest usage of his career last season, but it was still under 21%. This is a substantially lower number than Russell’s and Oladipo’s usage, and it shows that Brogdon is capable of being an awesome contributor on offense off-ball. Next to a player like Victor, this is extremely valuable. Brogdon still has the ability to run an offense, but he won’t hold Oladipo back from truly shining.
As it stands, Brogdon is also a better shooter from long range. Russell is better at creating his own shot and aggressively attacking defenses, but Brogdon is the more efficient scorer. Defensively, Brogdon will be of more use to the Pacers as well. He’s already a more competent defender, and he can guard positions 1 through 3 on the court.
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Make no mistake, it would have been exciting to see a player like D’Angelo Russell join the Indiana Pacers. However, there’s a clear argument that the better long-term play here was to lock up a two-way, 3-and-D, efficient scorer like Malcolm Brogdon. He and Victor Oladipo should be an exciting backcourt tandem to watch grow together in Naptown.