2 Raptors who are underperforming, 2 exceeding expectations at the All-Star break
By Will Eudy
Underperforming: Bruce Brown
Every Raptors fan (and likely every NBA fan at this point) is aware of Bruce Brown's complicated story from the last eight or so months. Last season, he was one of the most productive role players on the NBA champion Denver Nuggets, and it is certainly not a guarantee that they win the championship without him.
In fact, Brown was so good that Nuggets Head Coach Michael Malone got up during Denver's champion parade and proudly proclaimed that Bruce wasn't going anywhere. But as we saw, that proved to just be a fun moment for the coach as Brown would go on to sign with the Indiana Pacers in free agency.
When he got to Indiana, Bruce seemed to find the role he was looking for. But just as he was getting settled, Brown was traded to the Raptors in the Pacers' deal for Pascal Siakam. All of a sudden, Bruce was in a city and on a team that he did not ask to be on.
As a result, his production has slipped a bit. His scoring average and shooting numbers are down nearly across the board. It is unfortunate that Raptors fans are likely not going to get to see Bruce Brown at his best during his time in Toronto, as it is likely he heads elsewhere this summer.