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Lakers: It’s Time for Anthony Brown To Seize the Opportunity

Jan 10, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Utah Jazz forward Gordon Hayward (20) guards Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Brown (3) in the first quarter of the game at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Now that the Lakers are giving him the chance, it is time for Anthony Brown to make the most of his Purple and Golden opportunity

In the past week there has been a subtle yet important change in the Lakers’ regular rotation. It appears that Anthony Brown has finally supplanted Nick Young as the reserve small forward. This is a move that fans have been clamoring for all season, and it is about time it happened.

Going into the season, small forward was the weakest position on the team. The only true wing players on the roster were the rookie Brown and the aged Metta World Peace. The front office spent the offseason stocking up on power forwards and guards. Once Jimmy Butler and Kawhi Leonard re-signed with their respective teams as restricted free agents, it was as though the Lakers all but forgot about the three position.

In part due to a lack of other options, Kobe Bryant was moved to small forward.

Young, who is more of a shooting guard anyway, was always the one to play the wing position off the bench. While Bryant has missed games here and there to let his body rest, he has avoided serious injury and is in the line-up most nights.

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Whenever Bryant was unavailable earlier in the season, World Peace would start in his place. Fans could not understand why Brown, who had started most of the preseason games, was nowhere to be seen. World Peace was not expected to even make the team and is clearly on his very last legs as a player.

Last month, after a prolonged absence and with the Lakers facing an impossible game against the Thunder in Oklahoma City, Coach Byron Scott unexpectedly brought Brown back from oblivion and thrust him into the starting line-up.

The results that night were predictable, as the Thunder won by 40 points. Brown’s attempts to guard Kevin Durant were feeble. When Bryant returned, it was assumed that Brown might become his back-up, but Scott stuck with Young.

Young has had an erratic season thus far. He began fairly strong, and has shown more effort on defense than he has in the past. However, Young will always live and die with his outside shot which faded badly as the season progressed. In December, he shot very poorly, and when his shots don’t fall, there is not much point playing him.

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Without fanfare or announcement, in the past week it appears that Brown may have finally replaced Young as the reserve small forward, or, when Bryant is out, the starter.

Brown has gone from not playing at all, to playing a few minutes in garbage time, to playing big minutes either as a starter when Bryant is out or off the bench as his back-up, including in the fourth quarter with games on the line.

Such is life for a Lakers player under the puzzling leadership of Coach Scott.

Brown’s statistics on paper have not been impressive so far. However, in recent contests, he was on the court and instrumental when the team came roaring back from a 27 point deficit against the Kings and when the Lakers nearly upset the Thunder before losing in the last minute.

In the Thunder game in particular, Brown’s tough, aggressive defense against Durant in the fourth quarter was noticeable and impressive. Unfortunately, he couldn’t guard Russell Westbrook at the same time and it was Westbrook who won the game for the Thunder.

Brown was known in college as a “3 and D” player — someone who played tough defense and was adept at hitting key three point shots. These are contributions the Lakers have lacked all season but seriously need.

In the preseason, Brown was voted by his fellow rookies as one of the top defenders in the rookie class. In the final preseason game he played his best basketball, making several key three point shots that helped the Lakers stay with Golden State until the end. Yet, after that strong performance, he all but disappeared.

So far Brown has not shot well and seems hesitant to shoot. In another more recent game with the Thunder, for example, he took only one shot – a key three pointer — and made it. This is normal for a rookie, especially one who sat for so long once the season started and as a practical matter is just starting his season now.

Brown has excellent form on his shots, so hopefully it is just a matter of giving him time to get his feet wet and appreciate the speed of the game. It worked with Larry Nance, Jr., who is getting better and better, and if it similarly works for Brown, the Lakers will look back and say they had an excellent 2015 draft.

With a record of 8-31, the Lakers aren’t going anywhere and the mission for the rest of the season is talent evaluation and showing signs of improvement. One of the key players who deserves a close look is Brown. Any moment of playing time that Young gets at Brown’s expense is an utter waste of time.

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Unless Scott changes his mind, it seems like Brown is finally going to get his chance to prove he is a real NBA player who has the potential to contribute to a better Lakers team next season. He needs to take advantage of the opportunity to prove that he deserves a place in the league and on the squad in the post-Bryant era.

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