Lakers: Midseason Grades for Each Player

Dec 30, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard D'Angelo Russell (1), forward Brandon Bass (2) and forward Nick Young (0) celebrate against the Boston Celtics during the first half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 30, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard D'Angelo Russell (1), forward Brandon Bass (2) and forward Nick Young (0) celebrate against the Boston Celtics during the first half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports
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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
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

After seeing Anthony Brown play quite well in the preseason this year for the Lakers, there were numerous fans early on calling for him to get time in the rotation. Though it took Kobe Bryant injuring his shoulder for it to finally start happening on a consistent basis, it has been happening and recent weeks and the results have been at least mildly impressive for the rookie.

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The biggest thing that stands out about Brown is his effort and activity on the defensive end of the floor. There’s no question that part of that is geared around the fact that he’s already the Lakers’ best defender on the perimeter and the fact that he can disrupt the action of opponents on the outside with any degree of effectiveness is in stark contrast to any other perimeter player in LA. However, it is undeniably one of his strong suits regardless of the rest of the Lakers.

While he’s not really done much offensively, that seems to largely be by his choosing at this point. It seems as if the rookie is still in need of developing the aggressiveness and confidence on that end of the floor offensively. That being said, he plays within himself with the ball in his hands, makes few mistakes, and has shown flashes of his ability to knock down jumpers. We need to see more before he gets a higher grade, but it’s been nice what he’s shown to this point after finally starting to get time in the rotation.

Next: Kobe Bryant