In Praise of Jaylen Brown
I love Jaylen Brown. I love Jaylen Brown. I love Jaylen Brown. It's important for me to say it three times, because it is so often easy to not love him, and I have frequently been guilty of that. The second-biggest reason for me personally is that Jayson Tatum is my favorite player, and after years of people pitting JB and JT against each other, sometimes I forget that I actually always want Jaylen Brown to be successful. But the biggest reason is that JB never makes excuses. He knows he's not perfect – never more so than on May 29, 2023. But JB just keeps coming at you, and keeps coming at you, and keeps coming at you. On the court, he is basically the Terminator, and frequently the only player who can stop Jaylen Brown is Jaylen Brown. It is because of that essence that he won this city over, and it is because of that essence that he is continuously dragging this Celtics team up the standings and making this season a hell of a lot of fun.
None of this should come as a surprise to those of us who have paid attention to who Jaylen Brown is. As I detailed back in September, JB has never, ever, ever experienced a losing season. It's simply not in his nature to lose. And he is doing everything in his power to make sure this Celtics' record finishes on the correct side of the ledger.
It is not always pretty. This season, JB is having to force the shots that Tatum often forced in the past. That's because he has the ball more. Only Luka Dončić and Giannis Antetokounmpo have had the ball in their hands more this season. And the separation between Luka, Giannis, JB, and the rest of the league is stark. Steph Curry sits in fourth place with a Usage of 33.8%, 2.6% behind JB at 36.4%. That's the same gap as that of Curry in fourth to between Jalen Brunson and Tyrese Maxey at 11th and 12th, respectively. With this increased usage has come more turnovers. It's to be expected that JB's turnovers per game would go up a little, but on a rate basis – by both per 36 minutes and per 100 possessions – his turnovers are also up. His per 100 possessions mark is the worst of his career. And yet, JB just keeps coming.
It is not always smooth. Last night's game against the Knicks was a prime example. In the first quarter, JB was 2-for-5 for four points, had three turnovers, committed two personal fouls, and didn't pick up any assists, rebounds, steals, or blocks. He was a -11, and I sincerely doubt I was the only one wondering if this game against the Knicks was about to go the way the first game did. Then JB went 7-for-9 from the field in the second, and 3-for-3 at the free throw line, good for 18 points. He chipped in two assists and a steal, didn't commit a turnover or personal foul, and was a +17 for the quarter. He would be just as dominant in the third, and then did just enough in the fourth to help seal the win, and he finished with a season-high 42 points.
It is not always conventional. Some of the same people who have complained that the C's take too many three's are now complaining that JB is taking too many mid-range jumpers. They complain that they're not as efficient of a shot. But while that may be true in the general ecosystem, they are a more efficient shot for JB. You may have the math on your side when you say hitting a lower percentage of three-point shots is better than hitting a higher percentage of two-point shots, but there are all sorts of knock-on effects to hitting those two's and missing those three's. The first, of course, is that missed three's can generate long rebounds, which can generate fast breaks for the other team. And JB misses a lot of three's! So by reducing his percentage of shots that are three's – he's at a career-low 27.3% (his prior career low was 31.9%) – he's acting responsibly on behalf of his team. It's unlikely JB hits 59.8% of shots from 16' feet out to the 3-point line all season, but there's absolutely no reason to switch up until he does. Or until opposing defenses stop him from taking them. And if opposing defenses do, it'll leave another area of the court wide open.
Overall, that mid-range assassin-ship and career high attempts at the free-throw line have helped him level up. JB is averaging a career-high 29.0 points per game. It's more than two five points higher than his prior best of 26.7, set in the 2022-2023 season, and it ranks seventh in the NBA entering play tonight. What's more, he's been ever reliable. It sounds like he's going to get his first game of the season off tomorrow (he's officially listed as doubtful), but he played in each of the team's first 21 games, and that has helped stabilize the team. There's absolutely no denying that he should be an All-Star this season, and I think he's pretty clearly been one of the five best players in the Eastern conference along with Maxey, Giannis, Cade Cunningham, and Jalen Johnson (with Donovan Mitchell, Jalen Brunson, Franz Wagner, Scottie Barnes, and Karl-Anthony Towns behind them).
When he does get that All-Star nod, he will move into even more select company. Currently, Jaylen Brown is one of just 211 players in NBA/ABA history to be selected for at least four All-Star games. When he makes it again this season, he'll be one of just 165 players to do so, and if you exclude the ABA, it is just a list of 147 players that will soon add its 148th member. Said differently, there's now at least the beginnings of an argument that Jaylen Brown is one of the best 150 players in NBA history. He's now also one of just 288 players in NBA history to score at least 12,000 career points, one of just 238 players to score 12,000+ points and grab 3,000+ rebounds, and one of just 215 players to score 12,000+ points, grab 3,000+ rebounds, and dish out 1,500+ assists. And with four (soon to five) All-Star selections, an NBA championship, a second-team All-NBA selection (and maybe a second one this season), a Conference Finals MVP and an NBA Finals MVP on his resume, JB is almost certainly already an NBA Hall of Famer. And he should have plenty of time to keep adding to those totals to help put himself in even more select company.
The context of how he fits into NBA history is important, but just as important is how he fits into Celtics history, and when he crossed that 12,000 points scored, it further cemented him as a Celtics great. There are just 15 players who have scored 10,000 or more points in a Celtics uniform, and just 14 to score 12,000+. Here's the list:
That's pretty incredible company. These are the greatest players in Celtics history, and all but Jayson Tatum (who will) and Antoine Walker (who won't, but we love him anyway) have their numbers in the rafters at TD Garden. One fun note – of this group, JB actually has the third-best two-point field goal percentage, behind just Kevin McHale and Robert Parish. That's legitimately amazing. You could drill down on that a little, and make the argument that because Larry Bird took more two-point shots (more than 2.5x more) he missed more two-point shots. You could also say that as JB's effectiveness fades as he ages, that his percentage will creep back down closer to Bird's. But also, he's got wiggle room! And the fact that we can have that conversation, where JB (and JT as well) have shot better on two-point shots than Larry Bird is pretty remarkable.
The bar for excellence in Boston is high and is generally measured in championship banners, and JB has only hung one of those, so we generally don't think too much about his place in the team's history. But it is undeniable that we are witnessing one of the greatest careers in Celtics (and NBA) history, and as he puts the team on his back and piles up 40-point games seemingly at will (two in the past three games, and three total for the season), it felt like high time that I just took a minute to appreciate Jaylen Brown's greatness. As a person, there are few people I have ever rooted for harder. He does so much good for so many people, and I even bought a pair of his 741 sneakers, I love him so much. As an athlete, he's nearly unparalleled. On NBC last night, they claimed that JB told them he can hold his breath underwater for five minutes. Five minutes! And especially as a basketball player. Jaylen Brown is a one-of-one. There will never be another like him. I'm so happy I get to root for him on my team, and that he's taken the mantle of leadership in what most thought would be a down season to heart. It's awesome to watch.