Lawrence Frank has to be speechless. He treated Kobe Brown as a salary filler and did not think twice about including him in the Ivica Zubac package to the Indiana Pacers. Well, right before Frank’s eyes, Brown has emerged as a valuable asset for the Pacers, proving he should have never been traded; he is just the young piece the LA Clippers need.
In seven games with the Pacers, Brown is averaging 9.4 points and 7.0 rebounds, shooting 46.3% from the field and 40.0% from beyond the arc. He has done this in 27.1 minutes per game, which is quite impressive.
Thus, his promising debut in Indiana was not beginner’s luck. It was the start of Brown’s journey in showing the Clippers where they messed up. He always had the tools and potential, yet Frank miscalculated, and the blame now falls on him and Tyronn Lue.
The Clippers wish they treated Kobe Brown differently
In terms of minutes and his role on the team, Kobe Brown was mistreated during his tenure with the LA Clippers. He never had a consistent stretch of legitimate playing time, so, of course, he was only viewed as a throw-in piece at the trade deadline.
But, if you really take a second and evaluate Brown, the tools to progress his NBA career were there, just hidden under a cover. He had a fluid, one-motion jumpshot, enough strength to anchor the paint at 250 pounds, and a six-foot-seven frame, with an 84+ inch wingspan, at the four-spot that was competent to contest shots on the perimeter.
Additionally, Brown did his part in the G League and over the summer, with highlights and stat lines that signaled he was ready for a defined role with the Clippers.
However, the Clippers did not want to backtrack and change their perception of Brown, especially after two-plus seasons. Therefore, he was moved to a new team with ease.
At the end of the day, seeing him flourish in a role the Clippers had vacant will make the front office wish a time machine existed.
The bench had been depleted, grew short-staffed throughout the year, and needed replacements, as Nicolas Batum, to name one, has been a liability.
Yet Brown was left with the short end of the stick, and, as they say, one man's trash is another man's treasure: the Pacers are reaping the benefits of the Clippers’ poor decision-making.