Perth Wildcats to sign John Brown III
John Brown III has been circled by the Perth Wildcats. But will they sign the American power forward? (Photo: Euroleague)
The Perth Wildcats have been rumoured to sign American power forward John Brown III for the remainder of the NBL22 season.
First reported by Emiliano Carchia from Sportando, the Wildcats are interested in signing the defensive minded forward.
The 6’8, 100kg Brown last played in Russia with European powerhouse Unics Kazan.
In his stay in Russia, he averaged in the Euroleague 10.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.7 steals per game. Breaking the Euroleague record for most steals in a season (69 steals in 25 games).
Due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Brown left Unics Kazan in early 2022 and became a free agent.
Brown has the ability to play and guard all five positions. Throughout his career, his coaches struggled to find what the best position for him was, however in his stay in Europe, he has found his niche as a forward that can stretch to the centre if needed.
He is the typical ‘Wildcats Basketball’ player, he plays hard defence and always applies pressure on the opposition team.
Brown will be Perth’s answer to opposition bigs like Jo Lual-Acuil and Jarell Martin and will be a key addition to the Wildcats’ championship calculations.
It has also been reported by 10 News Perth reporter Lachy Reid, that Brown has arrived in Perth.
Brown has been spotted in Perth over the past couple of days by eagle-eyed Wildcats fans. Reid also reported that he had gone through an individual workout and gym session with the team’s coaches.
Wildcats head coach Scott Morrison was quick to shut down reports, keeping tight lipped over the potential signing.
After the Wildcats win over the New Zealand Breakers, Morrison responded to a question about confirming the signing.
Recently the signing has come to a roadblock, with Unics Kazan potentially voiding the signing due to him still being under contract with the Russian club. Even though Brown left the team in early 2022 and is in Perth currently, his rights are still owned by Unics Kazan.
As Lachy Reid reported on Ten News Perth, the Wildcats are waiting for clearance from the Russian club.
Whether or not Wildcats import Michael Frazier II will be cut is unknown. His spot has been criticised over the past month due to his lack of consistency and import level play.