Brewer spent the 2016-17 campaign split between the Rockets (58 games) and Lakers (24 games), but was unable to make much of an impact with either organization. He averaged just 15.9 minutes in Houston before seeing that decline to just 14.9 in Los Angeles following the trade deadline, which marked the lowest workload he's seen across his 10-year career. Between the two teams, he finished with averages of 4.5 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.2 assists, all of which were career-lows. He shot a respectable 42.2 percent from the field, but was horrendous from deep with just a 22.9 percent clip from the three-point line. Despite the huge step back, Brewer returns to the Lakers for his first full season in Los Angeles. He's expected to fill in as a reserve at small forward once again, but with guys like Brandon Ingram and Luol Deng in the fold, Brewer's not expected to see an increased role. He should be stuck with minutes in the teens and while his defensive capabilities provide the Lakers with a nice boost off the bench, his lack of a consistent shot and his fairly small workload will likely make it tough for Brewer to be relevant in the majority of Fantasy leagues.
Despite playing all 82 games for the third time in his career, Brewer’s production took a tumble last season, due in part to a reduction in minutes from 25.1 to 20.4 per game. The scrappy wing averaged 7.2 points, 2.4 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.0 steals per game in primarily a reserve role. Never a strong shooter, Brewer’s field goal percentage dipped under 40 percent (38.4%) for the first time since 2010-11, and his three-point efficiency dropped to just 27.2 percent on 2.7 attempts per game. The former Florida star still provides intangible value, mostly on the defensive end, but he’ll have difficulty achieving fantasy relevance in 2016-17, particularly after the Rockets added Eric Gordon in free agency to bolster their wing corps.
After being traded to the Rockets from Minnesota in December, Brewer emerged as a consistent defensive player and a streaky scorer off the bench. He ended up averaging 11.9 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.3 blocks, and 1.1 steals in 25 minutes per game through 56 contests after the trade. Brewer's field goal percentage remained fairly constant, but he improved as a three-point shooter, converting at a 28 percent clip in Houston after shooting just 20 percent as a member of the Wolves. The eight-year veteran will reprise his role as as one of the Rockets' top bench options, and he should see a similar minutes load. Defense has always been Brewer's calling card, but he also holds some minor value in rebounds (3.1 per game for his career) and steals (1.4 career). Brewer will have to fight for playing time in what will be a deep Houston wing rotation, and he'll primarily compete with Trevor Ariza, Jason Terry, and rookie Sam Dekker.
Corey Brewer returned to Minnesota in 2013-14 after a little more than two seasons away. Following his first stint with the Timberwolves, Brewer came off the bench for the Mavericks and Nuggets. He returned as a starter to the Timberwolves, starting in 81 games last year and averaging 12.3 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.9 steals. Brewer is a terrible three-point shooter (28 percent last season for 0.7 three-pointers made) but does pretty well within the arc (career-high 48 percent from the field overall last season). He hit 72 percent of his free throws. Brewer won't be able to leak out on the break to receive full-court outlet passes from Kevin Love this season, but he may serve as a defensive tutor for fellow wing Andrew Wiggins. The former two-time NCAA champion at Florida will also likely see his minutes cut with competition from Wiggins, a return to health from Chase Budinger, and the addition of Thaddeus Young to the squad. Because of all of these factors, Brewer should take a dip in fantasy value and only be drafted in deeper leagues or if some of the competition falls away due to injury.
Brewer is the favorite to be the starting small forward for the Timberwolves after Chase Budinger had arthroscopic knee surgery. He's known more for his defense than his offense, but he had the second best year of his career last season with the Nuggets, averaging 12.1 points per game while playing in all 82 games. Brewer returns to the team that selected him seventh overall in the 2007 NBA Draft a much more refined player, especially on the defensive side of the equation. While he played all 82 games for only the second time in his six years in the league in 2012-13, he knocked down a career-best 1.1 three-pointers in a run-and-gun offense, which supplemented nicely his remaining line - 12.1 points (on 42.5 percent shooting), 2.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.4 steals in 24.4 minutes. Brewer should provide nice support to Kevin Martin (and Budinger if he returns) on the wing, while taking on a fairly similar workload to the one he held with Denver. While it's possible Budinger could steal the starting small forward job when he returns, there has been some talk that Brewer would have the starting job even if Budinger were healthy.
A consummate professional, Brewer revived his career and reputation in 2011-12 and provides the Nuggets with another solid defensive stopper off the bench. He also proved he could hit the three with regularity last year adding plenty to Denver’s already potent arsenal.
He's a stout defender, but his marginal offensive game is going to keep him on the bench most of the time unless the club fails to re-sign Afflalo which would force Fernandez to spend most of his time at the two, opening minutes behind Gallinari.
Brewer upped his average minutes last season from his career mark of about 20 per game to 30.3. The effect was of great benefit to the guard, who more than doubled his career mark in scoring (finishing with 13.0 points per game), tripled his triples (exactly 1.0 per game), and also saw an improvement in steals (1.4 per game). None of that makes him a fantasy all-star-he was still bench-worthy by roto standards-but at 24 and at the top of the depth chart, Brewer could make some modest gains still.
After a disappointing rookie year and a sophomore campaign lost to injury, Brewer is entering his third NBA season with a lot to prove to Minnesota's new management. Brewer has fully recovered from the knee injury that plagued him last season, but his role with the team this season is still uncertain. Rambis is looking to fill his shooting guard and small forward spots with consistent outside shooting, which isn't Brewer's strong suit. If he can stay healthy, Brewer will have a chance to play a significant role with a young Timberwolves squad, but he'll have to show improvements with his shooting touch during training camp to earn a prominent role.
Brewer showed he could be a defensive stopper in his rookie season, but he struggled with his offense, especially his shooting. Brewer shot just 37.4 percent from the floor. He'll need to improve his shooting to get more minutes and become a fantasy factor. Even if he doesn't, he could still develop into a significant defensive role player as his good speed and length give him the potential to be a shut-down defender.
Now that the T-Wolves are in full-blown rebuilding mode, the fantasy value of youngsters like Brewer, Gerald Green and Rashad McCants is taking off like a dotcom stock in 1999. But don’t start bidding like Brewer is the Google IPO. While he has an NBA body, good speed and defensive ability, his offensive game is very raw, with an inconsistent jumper and not much of a handle. While he may get minutes right away, the fantasy value in Minnesota is more likely to come from the likes of Al Jefferson and Ricky Davis. Think of Brewer as more of a long-term investment.
Not on an NBA roster.