Texas Basketball: 3 gifts Shaka Smart would really want for Christmas

2) Christmas gifts for Texas basketball HC Shaka Smart

Greg Brown continues his hot streak through the rest of Big 12 play

It seems like a real spark plug for the Longhorns, and a major key victory game in and game out, is the hot play of the former elite five-star hometown recruit and true freshman power forward Greg Brown. Going from a decent, but mostly inefficient start, out of the gates this season to scorching hot play of late, Brown is special for this Texas starting five.

Brown’s hot play of late has even made his per game stats and all-encompassing advanced metrics pretty solid as a whole through eight games played. Brown has started in all eight games he’s played in so far this season too, averaging just over 20 minutes per game. And he’s averaged 12.5 points per game, 7.5 rebounds, 0.1 assists, 0.5 steals, and 1.5 blocks.

But the shooting percentages for Brown still need some catch up to do. He’s shooting 41.0 percent from the field, 26.3 percent from beyond the arc, and 72.2 percent from the free-throw line.

In the last three games alone, Brown is averaging well over a double-double while shooting roughly 49 percent from the field and 61 percent from beyond the arc. That type of play for Brown, which was solid on both ends of the floor of late, is something that can make Texas a top 10 team throughout the rest of this season.

Now what the Longhorns need in their frontcourt rotation, as long as Brown keeps up this high of a level of play, is for senior center Jericho Sims to pick things up too.