by lakerevolution » Wed Aug 17, 2016 7:40 am
The one major question mark left about the Lakers is regarding their fellow sophomore, Anthony Brown. What exactly was he trying to show during summer league?
“First thing, that I'm the best defender on the team, obviously,” Brown said after the Lakers’ win over the Golden State Warriors, his soft-spoken tone at odds with the self-confidence of his statement. “You know that's how I feel, so obviously I want to establish that.”
If Brown didn’t establish that, he came pretty close. The 6’8 wing used his 6’11 wingspan to harass over-matched summer leaguers into turnovers or errant shots that just barely got past his fingertips.
“He's been one of our best there, so we're really pleased with that,” said the Lakers head coach for Summer League, Jesse Mermuys. “His effort and his physicality is what has surprised me there, he's been a much more physical defender than I thought he was.”
Multiple Lakers coaches used the term “physicality” to describe Brown’s defense, and not only did he use that physicality to get into the body of the players he’s guarded, or to grab or push them around on defense, but also to slither around or fight through countless screens both on and off the ball.
While all of that has impressed him, Mermuys still wasn’t quite willing to go as far as anointing Brown the best defender on the team yet.
“It's hard to say the best, because I feel like Big Z has really protected the rim for us, and when breakdown's have happened out on the perimeter, Big Z has been great for us as far as protecting those guys,” said Mermuys. “But [Brown is] right there. AB, perimeter-wise, has done a really nice job defensively for us. “
So Brown was close to reaching his goal, and was almost assuredly the best perimeter defender on the team. As far as his other goals for Las Vegas, those went a little less well.
“Obviously that I can make shots,” Brown said of his offensive goals for the tournament. “And for me, continuing to build my game off the dribble is probably the biggest thing for me."