Second Chances, MarShon Brooks

MarShon Brooks was once a highly touted NCAA prospect coming out of the 1st round of the 2011 draft.  That wasn’t always the case.  He was a self-made player coming out of Providence, and put himself on the map with a 52 point output against Notre Dame during his senior year, along with scoring 24.6 points per game out of the Big East.  There was a lot of hope for his career trajectory, considering he worked so hard to improve, and the results were showing on the floor.

Further intrigue was added when he declared for the draft, and fans and scouts alike couldn’t help but see the similarities between him and Kobe Bryant.  You may think that’s crazy, but the way they attack the basket and the approach to how both of them attack through the post area is eerily similar.  While Brooks didn’t have the elite level quickness and speed that a young Kobe Bryant had, he did have the 7’1″ wingspan, on par with power forwards.  He had the physical tools to shoot over the defense every single time.  Could you imagine Kobe with a 7’1″ wingspan?  Durant is a more accurate shooter, an absolute dead-eye, but he shoots over the defense with a 7’5″ wingspan himself.

He was once a Boston Celtic, and finally got legit playing time playing for the lowly New Jersey Nets during his rookie year.  In just over 29 minutes per game, he averaged over 12.6 points per game on 42.8% shooting from the field.  It was nothing mindblowing, but it was clear that he had some shot creating abilities and a lot of upside, considering how well he excelled from midrange.

As time passed, he bounced around in the league.  Within three years, he would be a part of the Boston Celtics (again), Golden State Warriors, and now the Los Angeles Lakers.

Say what you want about the win-loss record of the current Laker team, but at least you can say there are players making the most of their opportunity.  Jodie Meeks is having the best year of his career.  So is Jordan Hill. Nick Young, Xavier Henry, and Kent Bazemore are all having career years as well.  Even Ryan Kelly is having an outstanding rookie year.

Left in the dust, is MarShon Brooks.  Young, Henry, and Meeks have all had injuries that have placed them on the sidelines, opening opportunity for Brooks.  Instead, Brooks still sits.  The last game against the Clippers made it obvious that Brooks is going to lose his NBA career.  He played a total of 2 minutes on an injury-plagued team.

It seems that MarShon Brooks has had his chances, regardless of the team situation.  His best chance was his rookie year, but it’s clear that he doesn’t have the fervor and drive that other NBA players do.  It’s a sad case really, considering Brooks, now 25, still has the physical tools and at least two-to-three years before really entering peak level play.

It’s commonly known that Brooks is a huge Kobe Bryant fan himself.  Some of that shows through the level of play.  But, one thing is clear.  Even with Bryant on the same team, Brooks hasn’t shown the drive to improve. Soon after Steve Blake got traded for Kent Bazemore and MarShon Brooks, Brooks’ playing time has dropped, while Bazemore entered the starting line up.

Kobe Bryant doesn’t respect guys who lack drive.

MarShon Brooks’ time is running out.