The Indiana pacers selected Kendall Brown late in the second round of the 2022 NBA draft. Indiana had to make a trade, but they felt Brown was a must-get in this draft class.
With just one season of collegiate play under his belt with the Baylor Bears, the 19-year-old has yet to be signed to an NBA deal despite being drafted. It will happen, but will it be a two-way contract?
Kendall Brown showcased his athleticism throughout the Indiana Pacers’ summer league. Where does he fit in next season’s roster?
Brown played in all five of the team’s summer league games, where he averaged 9.4 points a game and grabbed 3.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 21 minutes a game. His shooting percentages: 33.3% from deep (2/6) and 50% from the field (20/40) while hitting 5 of his eleven free throws (45.5%).
What was Brown best at during the summer league? I thought two things stood out.
- His speed for his size, which shined in transition with the ball as well as without
- His ability to finish around the rim and get to the spot
Several times he would run the floor and go either right to the rim or look for the man on the arc. He made 20 of his 40 field goal attempts, but there is still room for improvement. Against the Hornets, he got the ball in the corner and forced a shot instead of making the extra pass to an open Chris Duarte. It is summer league – the place designed for young players to make mistakes.
Growth comes with reps. Brown’s best game of summer league was against the Washington Wizards, where he scored 14 points and hit six of his ten shots from the field. When it comes to getting to the rim, I noticed he likes to use his pump fake at the three-point line and attack the defender’s back foot after they become off center.
Enjoyed seeing this move from 19 year old Kendall Brown. He did this a few times in SL #Pacers: pic.twitter.com/2IxiaDEPco
— Zach Pearson (@zapearsonNBA) July 20, 2022
Brown has yet to be signed to an NBA deal after being drafted. Andrew Nembhard, who was drafted in the second round, signed a four-year, $8M deal with the team on Wednesday. Indiana, of course, will sign Brown eventually, but it will be interesting to see if Brown signs a two-way agreement or a standard NBA contract.
The Front Office waived Duane Washington Jr. and waived and stretched Malik Fitts, Juwan Morgan, and Nik Stauskas amid the Deandre Ayton sweepstakes. There is room to sign Brown to a standard deal, which I wouldn’t mind seeing, but I get why they would go the two-way route. Indiana has 13 rostered players, and signing Brown and Nembhard would get them to 15.
The Indiana Pacers aggressively moved up a few spots on draft night to acquire Brown’s draft rights, and Kevin Pritchard spoke highly of Brown after the draft saying, “(we thought) let’s go make it a great draft and get Kendall.” It is just a matter of time before the team will sign their other rookies, as Bennedict Mathurin has already signed.
Undrafted players like Washington and Terry Taylor thrived with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants last season. It ended with them signing those standard NBA contracts and allowed them to log game minutes and build confidence in an NBA setting. Brown should be in the Indiana Pacers’ rotation this upcoming season. He is young, but so is the rest of the team, and him playing with guys like T.J. McConnel would be fun to watch as he learns the NBA game.
With Jalen Smith, Isaiah Jackson, and Oshae Brissett in the mix, it will be hard to see him cracking the rotation immediately. I think a two-way deal would be beneficial in which the Pacers could convert at a later point, but I am not sure how the Front Office views the situation.
Indiana can also try him at the wing spot despite not being known for shooting behind the arc – Brown has the physical tools to play multiple positions. He will be in the back of the rotation to start, but I can see him playing mostly on the wing. Nonetheless, Brown is a talented player that the team thinks highly of, and I believe he will get rotation minutes this season in some capacity.