When evaluating Jaylen Brown’s season, it’s easy to get lost in the scoring.
With his 30-point performance (12-of-20 FG, 4-of-6 3PT) in Sunday afternoon’s 107–79 win over the Milwaukee Bucks, Brown is now averaging 29.4 points per game, the third-highest scoring average in Celtics history, trailing only Jayson Tatum (30.1, 2022–23) and Larry Bird (29.9).
The 29-year-old has scored 30 points or more in 26 of his 45 games this season (57.7%), leading the Eastern Conference in such performances. He also ranks fifth in the NBA in points per game.
The numbers illustrate his impact as a scorer. The volume and efficiency (48.5% from the field and 36.2% from three) have been critical for the Celtics this season. But Brown’s impact has extended well beyond scoring.
Brown, who has been vocal about the pride he takes on the defensive end of the floor and his standing as one of the league’s best two-way players, has continued to make an impact defensively. While he may not draw the top opposing matchup as frequently with the emergence of young wings like Jordan Walsh, Baylor Scheierman, and Hugo Gonzalez, Brown’s influence on that end has not dropped.
Entering Sunday afternoon, Brown was holding opponents to 42.4% shooting as the primary defender — 4.1 percentage points below their expected output. His effort and attention to detail haven’t wavered, particularly in the areas beyond scoring that translate directly to winning.
That commitment has been especially evident on the glass.
Brown finished with a game-high 13 rebounds on Sunday, leading the team in rebounding for the seventh time in the Celtics’ last eight games. Over his past 15 games, he is averaging 8.3 rebounds per game, narrowly trailing only Neemias Queta (8.9) for the team lead.
“That’s an area of our team that teams try to attack. So you just got to get in there, get in the fight, and give your team an opportunity to win,” Brown said. “If you don’t allow teams to get second-chance points, your margin for victory increases. So that’s definitely a challenge I take.”
Brown has led the team in rebounding 16 times this season, trailing only Neemias Queta (18). His 24.2% defensive rebound percentage this season (the percentage of a team’s defensive rebounds that a player has while on the court) also only trails Queta (29.4%) among Celtics’ rotation players.
Coach Joe Mazzulla says Brown showing that want and doing the dirty work is another way Brown displays his leadership.
“We always talk about it. There are a bunch of different ways that you can lead. I mean, there are 1,000 ways, and one of them is what you saw tonight. He had nine rebounds in the first half alone,” Mazzulla said. “Obviously, what he’s been doing for us on the offensive end, but all the little things that go into it, he knows that that’s how he impacts winning. So that’s just another way that he leads, his understanding of what gives us the best chance to win every night. Also helping set the tone for the standard that we have to have both ends of the floor.”
When teammates see the stars playing with that level of effort and determination, it has a trickle-down effect throughout the roster, raising the standard for everyone who steps on the floor.
“It tells everybody else that you need to get on board and bring the fight as well,” Anfernee Simons said. “So, obviously, he’s one of our leaders. And he’s going to set the tone for us each and every night.”
Brown has played at an All-NBA level this season, averaging 29.4 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 4.8 assists — one of just three players alongside Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic to do so. But beyond the numbers, his leadership and the tone he sets have been significant reasons the Celtics are now 31–18 with the second-best point differential in the NBA (+343).
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