The veteran forward is back in Turkiye and ready to turn his season around
Vitto Brown knows Besiktas counts on his shooting
Player Spotlight
7 Mins read
Vitto Brown knew the question was coming. The Besiktas GAIN Istanbul forward has been thinking about it all season. And he assures that a change is in the works.
Brown knows his three-point shooting this season has been down. His 35.7% coming into Besiktas’s latest BKT EuroCup game against Lietkabelis Panevezys may be okay for other players, but not for him.
“It honestly makes me sick thinking about it right now. So we don’t even need to talk about this season. We know what I can do,” Brown told David Hein.
The 30-year-old talked to the EuroCup website just days before the Lietkabelis game, and he already showed what he is all about, hitting 3-of-5 three-pointers for 13 points to go with 6 rebounds, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 1 block.
To give a further aspect of how he had been struggling, take away his 3-of-4 three-point shooting night in Round 2 against the London Lions and Brown’s three-point accuracy in the other EuroCup games falls to 7 of 24 for 29.2%. And that was on his mind.
"Because that’s what you’re paid to do. Anybody can throw the ball up there. You’ve got to take accountability. If this is your job and people are counting on you, you’ve got to deliver,” he said.
“Every pro goes through slow times or slumps. There are adjustments – new team, new system, new teammates – and you can’t put too much pressure on yourself, which is hard at this level because you want to be the best for yourself and your team. But I’m working to correct it every time I step on the floor.”
Brown has been a rock of high-level shooting consistency thus far in his career. He made 40.0% on three-pointers in his rookie season at Le Mans in France and followed that with 38.3% in Spain in 2021-22 with Real Betis Sevilla in Spain. In 2022-23 at Pinar Karsiyaka, Brown made 44.5% in the Turkish League but 31.3% in the Basketball Champions League. Those numbers were 44.3% in Turkiye and 48.7% in the BCL in 2023-24 with Karsiyaka.
Last season with EuroLeague side AS Monaco, he nailed 50.0% from long range in the French League but struggled with his confidence and consistency in the EuroLeague, making just 28.6% on threes.
“I work on my shot every day. Thousands and thousands of reps. So when I hear those numbers, it doesn’t surprise me. I just need to get back to them, and I will,” he said.
Brown’s return to France last season did not go as he had hoped. He was getting solid minutes from the beginning of the season until early January, averaging 17 minutes in the EuroLeague and 20 minutes in the French League. His numbers then started dipping and he suffered a knee injury in early February that would end up costing him nearly two months.
By the time he returned to full health, the playoffs were nearing and Brown played just 8 minutes in one playoff game against FC Barcelona, while he did get more run in the French League.
“It’s the most frustrating thing. You work for years to get to that level. You were brought there because of what you did the two years before. Now it’s your time to show. To not be able to fully show that for various reasons was tough,” Brown remembered. “Some things were out of your control. It taught me a lot. Life isn’t always fair. Basketball isn’t always fair. The real pros continue to work despite that adversity. I think I really grew from that year.”
When the topic of the 2025-26 came up, Brown received a call from current Besiktas head coach Dusan Alimpijevic.
“I knew him from when we (Karsiyaka) beat them in the (2022-23) playoffs when he was at Bursaspor. I knew his quality,” Brown said. “I had different options, some other EuroLeague options for less money and less opportunity. I felt like this was the right fit.
“He told me about the roster they were building and it felt right. I wanted to stay in Europe. They still have goals to reach the next EuroLeague level, and we have a roster that might be capable of doing it.”
Brown chose Besiktas knowing he would be needed to be an outside threat from the four-man spot. And both he and the team hope the game against Lietkabelis is a sign of things to come.