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Jabari Brown Gets Second 10-Day Contract

ByChris Walton|
Dec 7, 2013; Columbia, MO, USA; Missouri Tigers guard Jabari Brown (32) goes for a basket. Mandatory Credit: Dak Dillon-USA TODAY Sports.
Dec 7, 2013; Columbia, MO, USA; Missouri Tigers guard Jabari Brown (32) goes for a basket. Mandatory Credit: Dak Dillon-USA TODAY Sports.

The Los Angeles Lakers have quietly gathered a nice combination of young players via the draft and free agency. Of course last year’s top-10 pick Julius Randle was brought in the fold before injury, and after a cash offer to the Washington Wizards, they nabbed Jordan Clarkson. Both players, barring any more setbacks, are bound to be the future of the Lakers.

To top off those two acquisitions, they stumbled upon big man Tarik Black and most recently Jabari Brown, the NBA D-League’s leading scorer. With each rookie on feasible contracts and possessing decent talent, the Lakers remain flexible for the next few years with some foundation on-hand.

With his 10-day contract expiring Saturday, Lakers Reporter Mike Trudell reported that the Lakers will sign Brown to his second one in the next few days.

After being called up from the Los Angeles Defenders, Jabari Brown has taken advantage of his time. His averages of seven points in 19.5 minutes per game are solid considering he’s in his first stretch of NBA action. It’s a small sample size, but Brown is shooting 60 percent from the field and 50 percent from three-point range.

The comfort and assertiveness he shows on the floor is far from his initial stint when the Lakers had him in training camp. Brown looks the part of a scoring reserve, as he showed a combination of penetrating ability and a smooth shot from outside. Against the league’s second-best team, the Atlanta Hawks, Brown showed off some of both:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8rn-IQZiDk

With Brown coming on for a second 10-day contract, there isn’t a reason that the Lakers should look to sign him to a non-guaranteed deal over the next few years. In 2014, the team made a similar move with Kendall Marshall. The deal was a minimum-salary contract which, again, keeps the Lakers cap space where they prefer it going into next season’s free agency.

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The latest injury to guard Nick Young only increases the need for the Lakers to retain Brown. Young was diagnosed with a small fracture in his knee, which will require him to rest until healthy. With no reason to truly return, Young could easily stay out for the remainder of the season.

Brown will have a chance to take on some of Swaggy P’s scoring responsibilities. Right now, he is definitely doing a decent job.

Brown is the kind of prospect that the Lakers need. He is 22 years old, and is extremely confident in his role and abilities. With Jordan Clarkson also flourishing, Brown certainly has a chance to see, first-hand, how to learn the nuances of the game and grow in every minute he plays.

There are only 15 games left in the year, and they will be very important for the Lakers. It offers the team a chance to continue the development of their rookies and start to mold their personnel decisions for the next season. To the Lakers credit, they’ve quietly done a good job scouting younger prospects.

The insurmountable injuries and coaching carousel has overshadowed those moves, though. As Jabari Brown shows he belongs in the league, Mitch Kupchak and Co. must certainly be smiling from their offices. They’ve managed to somewhat wave their “magic wand” again, on a smaller scale.

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