Los Angeles Lakers Should Sign Jabari Brown Long-Term

Twenty-one days and two 10-day contracts ago the Los Angeles Lakers signed Jabari Brown from the Los Angeles D-Fenders. The Lakers were thin at the guard spot with countless injuries on the team. The Lakers had no choice but to sign someone to bolster their depth.

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Los Angeles dipped into their D-League affiliate and called up Brown, who was leading the developmental league in scoring. He was scoring 24.4 points a game for the D-Fenders. He was shooting 45.7-percent from the field and 39.2-percent from behind the arc. Jabari was nominated to the D-League All-Star team.

Since his arrival to the purple and gold, Brown has impressed the staff and fans alike. He’s been giving the Lakers a nice boost off the bench. In ten games, he’s averaged 9.4 points off the bench while shooting an impressive 52.6-percent from two and 39.5-percent from three. He’s drained 11 threes with the Lakers.

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In Monday night’s overtime victory against the Philadelphia 76ers, Brown exploded for 22 points. He made seven of his ten attempts and made 75-percent of his three-point shots. He’s been earning more minutes on the court for Byron Scott’s ball club.

His second ten-day pact ends Monday night. The Lakers will unequivocally sign Brown for the rest of the season. I’ll take it a step further. The Lakers should sign Brown to a multi-year deal as he’s proven what he can do in the NBA. He would not be an expensive signing and his upside is tremendous. Brown’s definitely impressed during his time with the team.

He’s far from a finished product. The 22-year-old has much to improve in his game, specifically his defense. The 6-foot-4 rookie needs to improve because he’s an undersized two-guard. Definitely needs to play the passing lanes better and rebound a bit more. Youth and time are on his time.

The Lakers would be foolish to let this kid get away. This is the kind of value signing a team that is rebuilding needs. Los Angeles may have struck gold twice with Brown and his former Missouri teammate Jordan Clarkson. The 6-foot-5 combo guard continues to exceed expectations with each passing game. He dropped an fantastic stat line against the 76ers—26 points, 6 rebounds and 11 rebounds.

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Two promising rookies in Brown and Clarkson alongside the 7th pick in the 2014 draft Julius Randle is a nice foundation to build around. Best of all, they do not eat into the Lakers’ cap which will allow them to add an impact player or two and speed up the rebuild. Let’s also keep in mind that the Lakers could have as many as four draft picks (including a top-5 pick) in the 2015 draft.

The future looks bright for the Lakers (20-53). Their misfortunes could do a complete 180 if they draft well again this year. Finding gems like Brown is the way to go. They have a few prospects sitting with the D-Fenders, like Roscoe Smith, Vander Blue and Jamaal Franklin. In the meantime, locking up Jabari should be a priority.