John Brown, AS Monaco Basket: 'I'm the best defender in the EuroLeague'

The American forward, now in his second year with Monaco, has been a key reason behind the team’s recent success in the competition.

Great teams always seem to have some glue guys. Blue-collar types who will do whatever is needed to help the team win. For AS Monaco, John Brown fits the bill.

The 31-year-old is acclaimed as one of the best defensive players in the competition. At 2.03 meters, he is a natural power forward who can also play as a small '5'. Even so, his impact on the game is rarely seen through the stats normally ascribed to big men, such as rebounds and blocks. Brown makes his impact by stopping other scorers and creating steals.

Finding a way to get onto the court

Growing up, of course, the goal was not to become an elite defender, though Brown was always one of the best defensive players on his teams, going all the way back to high school. In those days, he was a dangerous scorer, too. That pattern continued through college and into his first few stops in Europe.

"When I went to UNICS [Kazan in 2020], we had a lot of scorers. And I came back the second year, we had more scorers. So, you know, you got to do something to get on the floor. So that's what I had to do," Brown said of his time with the Russian club, when he decided to put more of a focus on the defensive end of the floor.

"I was upset I wasn't getting as many shots up,” he recalled. “And I'm just like, ‘Okay, JB, you're on a good team. If I just can focus on one thing, like what? Like would I win a championship?’"

The answer was yes. By focusing on defense, Brown set a EuroLeague record for steals in a season when he averaged 2.8 per night for UNICS in 2021-22. Then he joined Monaco, where last season he won the French League and reached the EuroLeague Final Four.

"A lot of young guys really need to understand that, yes, I was a scorer. In my past, I was a scorer in my first four years professionally. But, you know, things change," he said.

It wasn't easy to give up his dream of scoring more. But discussions with friends and former teammates, including Jamon Gordon, Jamar Smith, Adrian Banks and Kevin Martin, helped Brown come to peace with the notion.

"I know I can contribute more offensively. But sometimes less is more. And I just really had to understand that," Brown explained. "When you're on a good team, you're not going to have to do everything. So now I just focus on defense."

Earning respect on defense

That mental switch has also led Brown to aspire to be recognized for his defensive excellence. Last season he placed third in the voting for the EuroLeague Best Defender Trophy, but Brown wants more.

"I haven't won a Defensive Player of the Year [trophy] and I feel like I'm one, if not the, best defender [in the EuroLeague]," he commented. "I'll get that respect once I win the Defensive Player of the Year award. So that's when I will feel like, ‘Okay, now I'm here.’"

Brown said he believes that we all have what it takes to be good defensive players because the main ingredient is effort: "Either you want to be [a great defender] or you don't want to be…

"You can teach positioning on defense. You can say, ‘Okay, if the ball's here, you need to be here.’ But all the extra stuff, talking, you know, communicating with your teammates, trying to see what patterns they're running in the plays just in case you can get an easy steal here… Effort is probably 90% of it."

Earning adulation, despite his unseen stats

Brown is sometimes frustrated that his contributions might get overlooked by others because they don't always show up in the box score.

"You know, I wish [they recorded] charges, some of the stats deflections, just setting your teammate up for a charge, you know,” Brown laments. “It's a lot of things that's not on paper that people – some, I'm not saying all – some people look at. Some people understand and some people are just like, ‘Okay, if his stats doesn't show he's doing something on the floor, like, okay, he's not doing anything.’"

What is most important for Brown is that he feels the love of his teammates and coaches for all he does on the floor. And he does.

"I do that, I get turnovers, you know? Even a deflection off the leg. We get the ball, we get another possession, you know? We’ve got amazing scorers on our team. That just makes it even better. Now you’ve got to come and guard these guys. Good luck!"

And it is that attitude that has not only made John Brown one of the most dangerous defenders in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, but has also made AS Monaco a EuroLeague contender.