Kobe Brown joined the Indiana Pacers as essentially a throw-in to the Ivica Zubac trade ahead of this year's deadline, but he's turning into a real asset. And this was especially noticeable against the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday.
In the loss, the Alabama native recorded 15 points on 5-for-9 shooting, seven rebounds, and one steal in 19 minutes. Not only was this his best game as a Pacer so far, but it might've been the best game of his three-year NBA career. He never scored 15 or more points as a member of the Los Angeles Clippers, and he grabbed seven or more rebounds in a game with them just twice.
After the game, head coach Rick Carlisle spoke about Brown's game and made it clear he likes what he brings to the table (h/t Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star).
"This is a great chance for us to figure out as much as we can about him," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. "I like the things he's doing. ... When you get an opportunity like this, this is where you can really show what you can do."
Brown is making an impact in every area of the game. He's crashing the boards. He's putting the ball in the basket (he's shooting 50% from the field and 57.1% from deep in five games with the Pacers). He's moving the ball around, and he's playing solid defense as well.
Indiana may have found something in the 26-year-old. And with them needing even more depth with Bennedict Mathurin no longer on the roster, he may get his number called a lot more often.
Kobe Brown can be a long-term contributor for the Pacers
I'm not saying Brown is a similar player to Mathurin (at all), but that might kind of be the point. He doesn't nearly have as much upside as the Canadian native does, and he isn't nearly as talented. But he can still provide value and is proving to be a better fit in Indiana's system.
It's a small sample size, but Brown is already showing the Pacers that he can contribute at a high level, and his recent performances shouldn't go unnoticed.
One of the biggest risks of trading Mathurin was that the Pacers lost one of their most valuable bench players without having a clear replacement for him. Brown won't be able to replicate his value, especially right away, but Indiana should at least feel a lot better knowing that they got someone who will give it his all on a nightly basis.