Behind the first impression Kobe Brown left on the L.A. Clippers during Summer League

It was Kobe Brown's goal to do it all. To be a player who excelled at more than one aspect of the game.

It was imperative for all his life, he said. It's never more important now as he begins his NBA career with the Los Angeles Clippers.

Brown earned a send-off from Columbia Saturday evening as residents, Missouri basketball enthusiasts and Kobe Brown fans gathered at Bud's BBQ on Ninth Street to bid farewell to one of the best players to don a Tigers' uniform in recent memory.

The entire MU men's basketball team, newcomers and returning players, were in attendance as Brown took selfies, greeted star-struck fans and enjoyed the time in Columbia that had already begun winding down the moment he heard his name called in the 2023 NBA Draft.

Since that moment, Brown has been an impressive force in his preparation for being an NBA player. His play in the 2023 NBA Summer League not only cemented the idea that Brown can have a successful NBA career, but that he can flourish with a specific niche.

"Wherever they need me any night is where I want to be," Brown said Saturday.

More: Thank you, Mizzou | By Kobe Brown

Brown averaged 17.5 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.3 steals and 1.3 blocks per game in four Summer League games, not taking into account the five minutes he played in the Summer League finale against the Los Angeles Lakers where Brown left after playing just five minutes with an injury. His averages for points, rebounds, steals and blocks were among the top five in each category, too.

Brown still peaked with a 35-point performance against the Philadelphia 76ers, where he scored 35 points, grabbed eight rebounds, dished three assists, snagged four steals and recorded two blocks.

That was Brown's night through and through, and he knew it. The first play call against the Sixers was specifically for him, he said, and it came with a familiar feeling.

"My teammates kept making sure I shot the ball and forced me to shoot ball and be aggressive scoring-wise," Brown said. "It was almost like a flashback to Mizzou."

The stat lines and performances impressed the biggest names on the Clippers' roster, who will be Brown's teammates in a short amount of time.

“I love Kobe Brown,” Clipper star Paul George said during an interview on NBA TV. “I definitely think a steal. A ton of upside. He just does all of the hard work, the dirty work. He plays hard. He is one of those young guys I think we need with that energy and that passion he plays with. He is fun to watch.”

Still, in the Clippers coach's eyes, the most impressive part of Brown's Summer League run was those defensive numbers.

He averaged nearly a double-double per game with multiple steals per game. Brown showcased his defensive ability which was a reason why he was an All-SEC player, but it was also impressive that he applied it to the Summer League with little preparation time with new coaches and teammates in very little time.

"He doesn't have to sell himself out to try and get steals," Clippers Summer League coach Dahntay Jones said after the Clippers defeated the Memphis Grizzlies. "He naturally has an impact on our defense in getting deflections and getting steals."

More: Kwiecinski: Saluting Kobe Brown, the most important Mizzou player of this decade

In the college game, Brown was used to playing with more space where the other teams would work on denying passes. In the NBA, that space shrinks and now Brown is being expected to play the passing lanes more defensively.

Those habits and playing styles took almost no time to kick.

"That shows you how smart of a basketball player he is," Jones said. "It took about a day and a half to knock it fully out of his system."

A year ago from this time, Brown was a few months removed from being a center in Cuonzo Martin's design. Now, he's a player who's living up to that self-made dream of being able to do everything.

That all led to Brown's chance in the NBA.

"My goal all my life is to be able to do everything so I can't be limited anywhere," Brown said. "I'm definitely looking forward to that."

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Behind the first impression Kobe Brown made during Summer League