At this point, the Los Angeles Clippers still have plenty of problems to resolve with their roster as presently constructed. They have a hard time generating easy shots at the hoop, settling for tough midrangers quite often, and when their shot isn't falling, their offense becomes very hard to watch despite boasting the services of four future Hall of Famers in Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, Paul George, and Russell Westbrook.

Meanwhile, on the defensive end of the floor, the Clippers, despite showing signs of life, have also shown signs of systemic weakness based on personnel. Quick guards give them fits, quick guards who can shoot from the outside are like a death sentence for them, and versatile big men batter them to oblivion; heck, the Clippers even let Reggie Jackson and DeAndre Jordan go off against them in 2023. Let that sink in for a bit.

For a team with ambitions of winning a championship, this kind of play from their current rotation players simply won't cut it. Barring an unforeseen trade that gets rid of their logjam at the guard positions, the Clippers may end up being the league's biggest disappointment. However, there may be a move in the offing for the Clippers that could help them address some of their issues, and it starts with giving this young player more minutes.

The Clippers should just throw Kobe Brown into the fire

Rookies are mostly unknown quantities; regardless of one's perception of their readiness in their transition to the professional level, rookies take major lumps, owing to the many bumps in the road they'll be facing on their way to cementing for themselves a huge role in the NBA. But for the Clippers, why would they draft an older rookie with one of their rare first-round picks this decade if they don't plan to just throw him straight into the fire?

Make no mistake about it, Kobe Brown is not a game-changer by any means. He is a 6'7 forward who can only play the four, as he's not nearly vertically gifted enough to anchor the defense as the five and nearly quick enough to keep up on the perimeter. On Thursday night, Klay Thompson left him in the dust on the perimeter on multiple occasions while coming off screens, so Brown isn't exactly a force of nature on the defensive end.

But at 23 years of age, Brown was drafted for his readiness in the league, and at the very least, he doesn't look very lost out there whenever he gets minutes. He knows his role as a glue guy, as a spot-up shooter on the corner, as a setter of hard screens, and as a passing option on the short roll. He's not trying to do too much out there. What he does is give effort, attack the glass, and pour in the occasional triple.

Is that enough for what the Clippers are trying to achieve? Perhaps not. But what the Clippers are lacking at the moment is some youth in the frontcourt. PJ Tucker is geriatric by NBA standards, Daniel Theis may be taking too many shots at the moment, and Ivica Zubac is the textbook definition of a non-switchable center, occasionally cosplaying as Luka Doncic's favorite cone for target practice.

Kobe Brown does have the build to survive when guarding the post, and at the very least, he shows spirit in keeping up on the perimeter, and perhaps as he becomes a better communicator, he could very well fit in as a huge piece of a tightly-knit defense. And if he manages to translate his 45.5 percent shooting from deep in his senior year in Missouri, then the Clippers may have themselves a 15 to 20 minute a night player who, depending on matchups, can be a versatile weapon for them on both ends of the floor.

What about Bones Hyland and Amir Coffey?

Bones Hyland has been the biggest casualty of the Clippers' trade for James Harden; Hyland has lost his spot in the rotation due to the overcrowding in their backcourt, which is quite a shame since he has been showing promise for the Clippers since they acquired him back in February.

A trade involving Norman Powell to bring in a frontcourt piece may be what's needed to open up a rotation spot for Hyland; even then, perhaps the Clippers end up giving those minutes to Amir Coffey anyway due to their need for some switchable size on the perimeter. Coffey is 6'7 and he has active hands on the perimeter, although Tyronn Lue hasn't really trusted him for two years now due to his lack of consistency on the offensive end.