After finding out last week that Corey Brewer has reached a buyout with the Los Angeles Lakers, Billy Donovan and the Oklahoma City Thunder did not waste time in reaching out to him and securing his services. Having coached him during his stint with the Florida Gators, the veteran head coach knows him more and has a deeper understanding of what he can contribute to a team. He even remembers him by a hilarious nickname he gave him back in the day.
Donovan recently shared that he used to call Brewer “The Giraffe on Roller Skates,” for his ability to run the floor fast and having enough height to see what's going on around the court easily, according to Fred Katz of the Norman Transcript.
Now reunited with the Thunder, Donovan is expected to give Brewer a chance to play a lot of minutes and help fill the void left by Andre Roberson, who is already slated to miss the remainder of the season due to a ruptured patella tendon. He is a defensive specialist, with a knack for stealing the ball whenever the opportunity presents itself. Brewer can also drive to the basket hard, can score as well when needed, and overall, is a better shooter than Roberson.
Brewer played for the Gators for three years and was part of their back-to-back championship team in 2006 and 2007, under the tutelage of Donovan. With the belief his coach has in him, and knowing how to maximize his talents, Brewer is definitely in good hands, and could turn out to be a low-key, yet very important signing for the Thunder, as they look to contend for the championship this season.