Our exit interview series on the 2025 Clippers continues with little-used second-year forward Kobe Brown.

Basic Information

Height: 6’7

Weight: 250 pounds

Position: Power Forward

Age: 25

Years in NBA: 2

Key Regular Season Stats: 1.9 points, 0.6 assists, 1.6 rebounds, and 0.2 steals in 6.8 minutes per game across 40 games played (zero starts) on 45.8/23.1/71.4 shooting splits (0.7 3PA, 0.2 FTA) shooting splits (51.3 True Shooting)

G-League Stats: 21.0 points, 4.0 assists, 5.5 rebounds, 1.7 steals, and 3.2 turnovers in 33.3 minutes per game across six games played (all starts) on 47.4/36.6/80 shooting splits (6.8 3PA, 2.5 FTA) shooting splits (62 True Shooting)

Expectations

After a rookie season where Kobe Brown received only scant time in Ty Lue’s rotation, fans hoped that the second-year player would figure as a somewhat more prominent factor in the Clippers’ plans in 2025. The Clippers only had three true power forwards on the roster outside of Kobe, one of which was the exiled PJ Tucker, and another of which was the injured Kawhi Leonard. Thus, it seemed reasonable that Kobe could carve out a rotation spot until Kawhi Leonard returned, even with the quantity of guards and wings on the roster that were more proven NBA players.

Reality

Kobe Brown unfortunately played even less of a role in the Clippers’ 2025 season than he did their 2024 season, logging just 272 minutes across 40 games with nearly all of those coming in garbage time. There’s also not much to take from Kobe’s G-League numbers either, as he played just six games for the San Diego Clippers.

It’s hard to call it a lost season for Kobe – he got to practice with the “big league” team and received another year of training and conditioning. Hopefully real progress was made, even if we couldn’t see it. But Kobe being unable to play for the 2025 Clippers was undoubtedly a disappointment, as they were small on the wing and playing bad centers for most of the season… with Kobe theoretically able to fill both of those holes. The fact that the Clippers didn’t think he could play over Kai Jones or Mo Bamba as a small-ball center, or as a power forward when the Clippers were playing four guards, is worrisome. It’s hard to know why Kobe didn’t play, but his poor three-point shooting (in limited minutes) and inability to defend without fouling were probably the main reasons why he didn’t play more.  

Future with Clippers

The Clippers exercised Kobe’s third-year option last fall, so he will be on the books for $2.65M for next season, with a team option for $4.79M the following year. Honestly, things aren’t looking great for Kobe, who has been unable to crack the Clippers’ rotation as an older first-round pick on a team that kind of needs the exact archetype of player (beefy power forward) that Kobe fits. Ty Lue has been reticent to play young players for most of his tenure as the Clippers’ head coach – but also most of the young players he’s ignored have in fact not been NBA-level talent.

I do think Kobe has more talent and is a better fit for the modern NBA than Mfiondu Kabengele, Daniel Oturu, or Jason Preston, but he needs to find the range on his three-point shot or become a better defender to stick in the league. I think the Clippers will probably give him one more shot to crack the rotation in 2026, but it would not surprise me at all if he was traded as salary ballast or as a throw-in to a deal this summer.

Clippers 2025 Exit Interviews: Kobe Brown
Robert Flom

Our player preview series for the 2024-25 Clippers continues with second-year forward Kobe Brown.

Basic Information

Height: 6’7

Weight: 250 pounds

Position: Forward/Center

Age: 24

Years in NBA: 1

Key Stats: 2.1 points, 1.4 rebounds, 0.6 assists, 0.3 steals, 0.1 blocked shots in 9.0 minutes per game across 44 games with 41.1/29.2/50 shooting splits.

Contract Status: Second year of a four-year contract worth a little over $12 million.

Expectations

Kobe Brown comes into this season sort of teetering on the line between playing a big role and sitting on the bench again. Given the Clippers’ depth at the forward position, there doesn’t seem to be much room for regular rotation minutes. And, given Ty Lue’s affinity for small-ball, we’ll see more Nicolas Batum at power forward rather than small forward.

A steady diet of the San Diego Clippers is probably in the forecast for Brown this season. But he does bring a unique skill-set at the four that could potentially get him into the rotation at some point this season.

Strengths

Brown is a floor spacer at power forward. Although his percentages last season wouldn’t suggest that, he can step out and shoot from three-point range with confidence.

He has the tools to be a good rebounder as well. He averaged around five boards a game during summer league, and you’d want that number to be closer to the 7-8 range. But he has the ability.

And perhaps one of his most improved aspects is his playmaking and decision-making with the ball in his hands. During summer league, he averaged 4.2 assists per game. He’s also showing the ability to make plays off the dribble. That’s something the Clippers other reserve forwards aren’t able to do.

Weaknesses

Two things stand out for Brown here, consistency and defense. Consistency in that he CAN be a good shooter from deep, but aside from his senior year at Missouri, his efficiency has not been as consistent as you would want from a stretch-four.

Defensively, he can still get lost while making mistakes. During summer league, his fouls were a concern. Being disciplined on that end of the court while cutting down on his fouling would go a long way to Kobe being an impact rotation guy.

Summary

With a fully healthy Clippers team, there just doesn’t seem to be enough room for Brown in the rotation. But with Kawhi Leonard’s status up in the air, there is a pathway for Brown to play right away.

However, don’t be surprised to see him getting plenty of reps in the G League again.

Clippers 2024-2024 Player Preview: Kobe Brown
David Yapkowitz

Our exit interview series on the 2024 Clippers continues with a look at first-round rookie Kobe Brown.

Basic Information

Height: 6’7

Weight: 250 pounds

Position: Forward

Age: 24

Years in NBA: 1

Key Stats: 2.0 points and 1.4 rebounds in 9.0 minutes across 44 games played on 41.1/29.2/50 shooting splits.

Expectations

There wasn’t much expectation placed on Kobe Brown coming into the 2023-24 season. As a late first round pick on a veteran team hoping to contend for a championship, the G League was always going to be where Brown spent most of his rookie season. However, Brown was one of the older players in the draft and thus was seen as being a little more NBA ready than many of his peers.

Reality

Sure enough, Brown spent a good portion of the 2023-24 season playing for the Ontario Clippers in the G League. He had a few big performances there including a triple-double in January.

But throughout the season, Brown did receive periodic playing time with the big club. He showed the ability to be a solid floor-spacing power forward who could hit the glass and play defense. Essentially, he was what P.J. Tucker was supposed to be, albeit in limited minutes

There were definitely times where Brown looked lost, but that’s to be expected for a rookie. He has an NBA skill-set and the makings of a solid rotation player. Perhaps the most noticeable and surprising aspect of Brown’s game was his playmaking. He was able to showcase that a little more while in the G League.

Future with Clippers

Brown is on his rookie scale contract and thus the Clippers should have him on the roster for the next few seasons. With a strong offseason and summer league appearance, there’s no reason to think that Brown shouldn’t be in the main rotation next season.

The Clippers have had a few young players on the end of the bench the past few seasons who have been unable to get playing time. One of the team’s most pressing needs was to get younger and more athletic. Brown has the size and skill to be the primary backup power forward. If nothing else, he should be ahead of Tucker on the depth chart to start 2024-25.

2024 Clippers Exit Interview: Kobe Brown
David Yapkowitz

Our player preview series for the 2024 Clippers season continues with Kobe Brown, the Clippers’ first round pick from the 2023 NBA Draft.

BASIC INFORMATION

Height: 6’7”

Weight: 250

Position: Forward

Age: 23

Years in NBA: Rookie

Key Stats: 15.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.5 steals per game on 55.3/45.5/79.2 shooting splits across 34 games as a senior at the University of Missouri.

Contract Status: Signed a four-year / $12.4m deal this summer with team options on the last two seasons

EXPECTATIONS

Short-term? The expectation for Kobe Brown is to perform in the NBA G League as well as he did in the NBA Summer League. Given the struggles for younger role players who should be ahead of Brown in the pecking order players, like Amir Coffey and Brandon Boston Jr., even in a hypothetical situation in which the front office consolidates some depth to swing big for a third star it’s hard to imagine Brown getting many opportunities with the big boy club. The real plan and expectation for him this season should be to check boxes that’ll have him prepared to fight for minutes in Years 2 and 3 as a pro. Such boxes include working on his body, finding what he does well on the court, and perfecting it.

STRENGTHS

For lack of better words, Kobe Brown is built like a tank. He’s not necessarily chiseled and cut-up like Kawhi, but he’s not exactly put together in a way that resembles Zion Williamson. He’s somewhere in the middle, which he used to his advantage as an amateur most of the time around the basket. And whether I’m right or not, I truly believe that physical strength will translate to the NBA and play to his advantage immediately. No, Brown won’t have the opportunities to bully-ball in the post, and nor should he. But on the defensive end, he’ll be able to stand his ground against bigger players in a way that former Clipper Eric Gordon did.

Another strength could be Brown’s three-point shooting. It’s not textbook, and it doesn’t look natural coming off of his hand. Yet, the ball goes in. If you ask me, the jury’s still out — three years of inefficiency is hard to overlook. However, he’s been lights out for almost a year now, so perhaps a corner’s been turned, and this new-found strength could be what changes his timeline as an NBA player.

WEAKNESSES

Feet. Particularly slow feet. I mentioned Brown’s tank-like build in a way that’ll be advantageous for matching NBA physicality, but let’s not forget that today’s game is played in a spread-out way that requires players to be able to move in space. Such a style of play is why I noted earlier how Brown will need to work on his body this season — slimming down a bit might help with some needed mobility, especially if he ends up with more reps as a wing than a forward. If those feet don’t get a bit lighter, he’ll need to spend some time in the film room studying how someone like PJ Tucker figured it out as a small-ball center and undersized forward.

SUMMARY

There’s no reason to get overly excited about what Kobe Brown can become as an NBA player, and there’s also no reason not to feel encouraged from the little we’ve seen thus far. But the reality is that we’re most likely not going to actually know who he is as a player for a while. The path to playing time just isn’t there, and Brown will likely spend most of his first professional season in Ontario and potentially his second season, too, if things go well for the Clippers this season. So, we wait.

Clippers 2023-2024 Season Preview: Kobe Brown
Cole Huff

With the 30th pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, the Clippers selected Kobe Brown, a senior forward from Missouri.

Kobe Brown averaged 15.8 points, 6.4 Rebounds, 2.5 Assists, and 1.5 steals on 55.3/45.5/79.2 shooting splits last year at Missouri. Brown’s three-point shooting looks great, but he took just 3.3 per game, and shot under 30% in his first three college seasons – so shooting is a big swing factor. With Kobe in general, whether you believe in his senior season is the dealbreaker, as his first few seasons in college were thoroughly unremarkable.

Kobe Brown is a fit positionally, as he’s a 6’8, 250 pound forward who could theoretically play either big man position, though he’d be a bit short for a center. He is skilled for a guy his size, with good assist rates and an over 1:1 assist to turnover ratio. He’s extremely built for a guy his size, as well, though older (23.5), and does have some nice off-ball skills. Sadly, like many Clippers’ small-ball forwards of recent years, Brown is not a particularly good rebounder.

This isn’t an awful pick – a lot of people like Brown quite a bit – but there were better players on the board, in my opinion – Leonard Miller, Trayce Jackson-Davis, James Nnaji, and Colby Jones most especially. Brown is not ultra athletic, and he’s really only going to be a player if his senior shooting is legitimate. Still, he’s an intriguing stretch big man prospect as a massive guy with some shooting and playmaking skills. There’s not much upside here, but if the Clippers trade away multiple of their veteran power forwards he could be usable in the next year or two.

Welcome to the Clippers, Kobe Brown! We will keep going for the rest of the draft and the Clippers’ pick at 48.

Clippers Select Kobe Brown at 30 in the 2023 NBA Draft
Robert Flom