The LA Clippers practiced at Clark High School in Las Vegas the day before their third summer league game. First-round rookie Kobe Brown was among the first players to enter the gym, about three miles from the Las Vegas Strip. I noticed that the 23-year-old rookie out of Missouri doesn’t have accessories of any kind — no headband, no tights, no knee pads.
Advertisement
“When I was like a young kid, I used to try to wear a shooting sleeve, just because everybody else was doing it,” Brown told The Athletic before practice. “But I did like one game, in AAU, a long time ago. And I was like, ‘This isn’t me.’ I didn’t understand what it did for you. I still don’t understand fully what it does. I never needed anything, really. I’m out here to hoop, not look good.”
By the end of LA’s Friday afternoon comeback win against the Philadelphia 76ers, Brown, sans sleeves, showed everyone what he’s capable of on the floor. Entering Friday’s game, Brown had 35 total points on 12-of-37 shooting from the field (32.4 percent), 4-of-17 3s (23.5 percent), 7-of-13 free throws (53.8 percent) and as many assists as turnovers (four) in three games. Brown matched the points in one phenomenal showing against the 76ers, scoring 35 points on 13-of-19 overall shooting and 7-of-10 on 3s while making both free throws and registering a 3:1 assist-turnover ratio.
What made Brown’s performance even more impressive was how he did it; he only had 11 dribbles to set up his 13 made shots. For a player who is projected to have to earn minutes around Clippers stars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, Brown must make the most of limited opportunities. And, unlike many summer league performances where a player gets chances to cook out of ball screens and isolation possessions, Brown ate mostly off the ball to provide a peak role player performance.
All of Brown’s 3s against the 76ers were of the spot up catch-and-shoot variety, though he lit up all over the floor on his seven made 3s: above the break, in the corners, on second chance opportunities, and in transition. Of his six made buckets inside the arc, half of them came from his own steals, two of them came from his own offensive rebounds, and four of them came on fast breaks.
Advertisement
The shooting is going to be Brown’s swing skill in the NBA. When Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank discussed drafting Brown last month, and mentioned Brown’s ascent into a player who made 51-of-112 3s (45.5 percent) as a senior last season multiple times. Brown made only 49-of-207 3s (23.7 percent) in his first three years at Missouri; his ability to make shots from the perimeter will be under the microscope as a young player.
But what makes Brown unique is that his offense is not restricted to simply waiting for shots. Frank also mentioned how Missouri head coach Dennis Gates had Brown in a “Princeton offense on steroids type of approach, five out” system that had Brown doing a little of everything. Brown was a center last season at Missouri after being a power forward under Cuonzo Martin, and Gates had Brown in traditional big man actions like post ups and setting screens. But Brown was also in isolations and running pick-and-rolls as the ball handler as well.
“It definitely gives me an advantage, just because I can play both sides,” Brown told The Athletic about his versatile usage in college. “I know what to look for when coming off with the ball, and what to look for when coming off without the ball. So it’s definitely a unique thing.”
The Clippers haven’t utilized Brown’s ability to create offense as much when facing the basket. But what they have done is use Brown’s 250-pound frame to open games up as a post option. Brown’s lone field goal on Friday against the 76ers that wasn’t a spot up jump shot, in transition, or after an offensive rebound came on a post up in the first quarter that resulted in a successful floater as Brown swept across the lane. Before that, the Clippers let Brown work in the post on their first possession, and Brown drew his lone shooting foul out of it.
Brown’s ability to shoot, dribble, pass, play inside and play outside opens up a wide range of possibilities for himself and his teammates. Over his last two seasons at Missouri, Brown averaged 2.5 assists per game; he improved from 2.3 turnovers per game as a junior under Martin to 1.6 turnovers per game as a senior under Gates. Brown’s feel for the game is an asset. That was on display Friday against the 76ers as well, as he leveraged the threat of his jumper into a drive from the corner, feeding center Bryson Williams for a dunk when he drew help away from the rim.
Now, offensively, you can see how Brown can be a complete player. It may not matter what position he is at. And that’s the feedback Brown got from the Clippers when they drafted him.
“Talking to coaches and whatnot, they never really said they wanted me to come in and be a big man,” Brown told The Athletic. “But they said they wanted me to come in and be like a versatile player, that can play the big man if he needs to and also maybe the 1, 2, 3, 4, and the 5. Just play anywhere on the floor, really. They never gave me a specific position. They want me to play everything.”
Advertisement
This reminded me of my conversations with Terance Mann. Teams will throw players on the floor to be positionless — fulfill multiple roles in an offense and guard multiple positions with a variety of different players — but sometimes, that leaves players without a position to excel at. And this is reality: as skilled as Brown is, he’s not going to be guarding point guards anytime soon. He’s primarily a power forward with the ability to slide to center. In today’s NBA, the power forward spot comes with increased perimeter defensive demands but is still played by bigger bodies.
At 6-foot-7 with, at best, an average vertical leap (32 inches, the lowest of any first-round pick at the NBA combine), Brown isn’t expected to be a strong deterrent at the rim. His 0.5 blocks (0.4 as a senior last season) at Missouri convey that. Brown also doesn’t have exceptional movement skills. Brown wants to maximize his 250-pound frame as a pro while getting the most out of the athleticism he does have.
“It’s mostly muscle — I’m more worried about my body fat percentage versus how much I weigh,” Brown told The Athletic. “Right now, it’s mostly muscle, so I’m trying to just maintain that and be able to work with the trainers. Be able to move with this amount of muscle. But it helps give me an edge, helps me guard bigger guys, versus being smaller and trying to battle with some stronger guys. So, I definitely, probably, just continue to be this size.”
What Brown does have is a massive wingspan (nearly 7-foot-1, second-longest measurement at the combine among first round picks behind Jarace Walker), and Clippers summer league head coach Dahntay Jones has praised Brown for his understanding of what the Clippers want to do defensively. Brown always had active hands at Missouri, averaging 1.1 steals per game for his career and 1.5 steals per game last season as a senior.
When Jones wants the defense to shrink the floor, this is a perfect example of Brown executing that to create a turnover. Brown’s job is to keep the ball on the same side of the floor and to not let it out. As Memphis Grizzlies wing Joel Ayayi drives, Brown slides down to help. Ayayi terminates his dribble, and Brown is up in the passing lanes. Brown’s wingspan surprises Memphis’ offense, and Brown creates free throws for himself by creating a live ball turnover.
Obviously, Brown has a long way to go still until he can be considered a legitimate candidate for rotation minutes. The Clippers still have way too many power forwards, something that the front office intends to address at some point this offseason. Brown signed his contract on the day before Independence Day, so he can’t be included in any trades until August 3. Ironically, the Clippers tried to include the pick that turned into Brown when they were close to acquiring Malcolm Brogdon from the Boston Celtics, a deal that would have also included starting power forward Marcus Morris Sr. Per Stathead, only Reggie Bullock, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Corey Kispert played more total minutes than Morris last season while having lower rates of offensive rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks per 100 possessions. Moreover, Morris’ 36.5 percent mark from 3 was the lowest of the four. Morris’ declining impact suggests that his days as a starter should be over, but the Clippers have yet to adequately replace or move him.
Even without the depth chart clutter, Brown is moving to the NBA. Frank noted on draft night that “it’s a different level, as good as the SEC is, in terms of going to the NBA,” and the same applies for summer league. Brown had seven fouls Friday against the 76ers while also racking up eight rebounds, four steals and two blocks. Though the Clippers overcame a 21-point third quarter deficit, Brown, in a regular-season game, would have been disqualified with 6:19 left to play. Instead, Brown scored as many points in the fourth quarter (13) as the entire 76ers summer team. Brown will have to show that he can hold up defensively against the real NBA offenses and personnel once summer is over.
Advertisement
But for now, Brown has shown the full menu of his ability. Whether Brown plays in LA’s finale Sunday against the Los Angeles Lakers or not remains to be seen, but he has endeared himself to his teammates, coaches, and front office, doing so while staying healthy — well, almost.
“I don’t mind getting hit,” Brown told The Athletic about protecting his legs as a big without any braces. “I just don’t think about it. If it happens, it happens, and I just move on to the next play. I got hit in my lip last night. It swelled up on me. But, you know, I’m smooth.”
(Top photo of Kobe Brown: Candice Ward / Getty Images)
