Through all the underachieving by the Celtics, and all the chaos that has gone with those sad trombones, it is a worthwhile exercise to pause an appreciate an absolute highlight from this 2020-21 NBA season.
Jaylen Brown.
It would seem to a perfect time for such appreciation considering what Brown accomplished Thursday night in the Celtics' 121-113 win over a short-handed Lakers team.
For the first time in Celtics history, a player scored 40 points while shooting 85 percent from the floor. In Brown's case, it was exactly 40 while making 17 of hs 20 shots.
This night couldn't have been about beating the mighty Lakers. They were without both LeBron James and Anthony Davis. And winning five in a row is nice for Brad Stevens' team, but until they start rattling off the wins against the iron of the East it's hard to completely jump on board.
No, this should have simply been a step-back-and-appreciate moment, understanding how far Brown has come and how important he is to this team.
The 24-year-old offered a glimpse into how well-rounded a scorer he is, making 14-of-15 two's and 3-of-5 from beyond the 3-point line.
How much did the Celtics' need him? Well, while recently red-hot Jayson Tatum was struggling to a 14-point night, Brown was carrying an plus-minus rating of plus-36.
Heading into this season, this was a player who was averaging just under 15 points per game and nets 24.6 a contest. In fact, in almost every meaningful stat line Brown continues to climb.
He is thoughtful. He is seemingly a good teammate. And, guess what? He is signed for three more seasons beyond this one.
A reminder: Brown is part of the solution, not part of the problem.
"He just stayed hot," said Celtics coach Stevens. “I think that he's done a good job. Tonight, he was really dialed in scoring the ball. You're not going to always shoot as well as he did tonight. Obviously, that's like once-a-season type numbers, usually. But he's had a great year and he continues to get better, and tonight was the night that he got going and we tried to ride that as much as possible."