Los Angeles Lakers: Best 29th overall picks in NBA history

By Jason Reed | Apr 13, 2020

Boston Celtics' P.J. Brown fights (R) for the ball with Los Angeles Lakers' Pau Gasol (L) during Game 6 of the 2008 NBA Finals in Boston, Massachusetts, June 17, 2008. The Boston Celtics captured the National Basketball Association championship, routing the Los Angeles Lakers 131-92 to win the best-of-seven NBA Finals four games to two. AFP PHOTO / GABRIEL BOUYS (Photo credit should read GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP via Getty Images) /

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(Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers /

3. P.J. Brown, 1992

If you are someone who merely looks at offensive numbers as a way to value a player then you are not going to be too thrilled to see P.J. Brown as the third-best 29th overall pick of all-time. However, while his offensive numbers are lacking, he provided much more than meets the eye.

Brown was taken in the 1993 NBA Draft by the New Jersey and finished his 15-year NBA career with 9.1 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. His best scoring season was 1998, in which he averaged 11.4 points per game.

While not elite offensively, Brown was a really good defensive player for most of his career and in his prime was one of the 10-best defenders in the league. He was named to the All-Defensive Second Team in 1997, 1999 and 2001 for his efforts with the Miami Heat and Charlotte Hornets.

Brown also has the highest total win shares on this entire list, but the fact that he was never truly an elite player definitely holds him back. His defense is valuable, though, hence why he is ranked third instead of fourth.

Los Angeles Lakers fans might be familiar with P.J. Brown as he was brought in to be a bench player during the Boston Celtics’ NBA Championship run, ending his career on a high note as a champion.

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