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The Debut Of Jabari Brown

By Chris Walton

Jan. 26, 2013; Columbia, MO, USA; Missouri Tigers guard Jabari Brown (32) and guard Earnest Ross (33) enter the court to face the Vanderbilt Commodores at Mizzou Arena. The Missouri Tigers defeated the Vanderbilt Commodores 81-59. Mandatory Credit: Dak Dillon-USA TODAY Sports
Jan. 26, 2013; Columbia, MO, USA; Missouri Tigers guard Jabari Brown (32) and guard Earnest Ross (33) enter the court to face the Vanderbilt Commodores at Mizzou Arena. The Missouri Tigers defeated the Vanderbilt Commodores 81-59. Mandatory Credit: Dak Dillon-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Los Angeles Lakers haven’t had much luck adding sexy names to their roster like they’ve infamously been accustomed to doing. Last year’s free agency was a chase of Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James, which ended in missing out on both guys. The team ultimately settled on bringing back familiar names like Nick Young and Wes Johnson.

Outside of the pool of players that were available, the Lakers went on to add some talented prospects from the 2015 NBA Draft. The first was signing Tarik Black, and just recently the team nabbed the Development League’s leading scorer in Jabari Brown.

Yahoo Sports Adrian Wojnarowski reported the team bringing in Brown for a look:

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The team applied and was granted the NBA’s hardship player exception, allowing them to add a 16th roster spot for the season due to injuries. The team has Julius Randle, Ronnie Price, Steve Nash, Nick Young and Kobe Bryant all sidelined by injury. Aside from Young, each player will miss the remainder of the year.

As a member of the Lakers D-League affiliate, the Los Angeles D-Fenders, he averaged 24.4 points per game as a rookie. His ties to the Lakers include playing his collegiate career alongside Lakers starting point guard, Jordan Clarkson. The two were the Missouri Tigers’ leading scorers in their last year playing in the NCAA.

A chance to reunite them both and watch their development will be an interesting dynamic for the Lakers.

Brown’s NBA debut occurred on Thursday night against the New York Knicks. The Lakers did suffer defeat in Brown’s first bit of action, 101-94. Brown didn’t have a breakout game, but showed some good flashes of his potential, finishing with seven points on 50 percent shooting in just 18 minutes.

The Lakers brought him in to add as a fourth guard, providing a scoring spark with Nick Young sidelined with injury. Of course Wayne Ellington, Jordan Clarkson, and Jeremy Lin are the other backcourt mates with Young. The one thing about his game was the aggression that he seemed to lack while in Lakers training camp.

Coach Byron Scott touched on the experience as covered by Laker reporter Mark Medina:

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    • “I thought the first two or three weeks of training camp he wasn’t necessarily going through the motions. But he was trying to find his way,” Scott said. “The last few days and last few games, he started to become a little more aggressive and that’s what I wanted to see from day one. That’s what I told him to when I let him go. I told him, ‘I wished you had started out that way being aggressive. When you’re trying to make a team, that’s what you have to do.’ He didn’t start off that way.”

    With his first NBA field goal coming on a 21-foot jump shot, Brown definitely opened things up looking to make an immediate impact on the game. Brown also got to the free-throw line twice on the night, showing the ability to draw contact at the hoop. The pressure for him to help the Lakers definitely should be low, considering the team has been eliminated from playoff contention.

    The rest of the season is catered to allowing players like Brown to grow and prove they belong in the NBA.

    Under contract for just 10 days, Brown must certainly make the best of his opportunity. With the Lakers, his situation is an interesting one. While the team would whiff at the thought of adding a D-League player long-term in the past, the Lakers now must rely on these kinds of signings to build foundation on their roster.

    If Brown can perform the rest of the way like he did on Thursday night, the future looks bright for him in his new purple and gold.

    Next: The Greatest Player In Every Franchise's History

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