Jaylen Brown has been one of the most scrutinized players in Boston sports. It started the day he was drafted when fans booed after Wyc Grousbeck announced the team would be selecting Brown to fans assembled at TD Garden for a draft event.
Two All-Star selections, five trips to the Eastern Conference Finals, All-NBA honors, and a trip to the Finals later, the former number three overall pick still has his naysayers.
So when Brown signed the richest contract in NBA history over the offseason, as you’d expect, there was some backlash.
However, inking Brown was crucial in the long term for the Celtics.
There is something to be said about a core that reached five Eastern Conference Finals in seven years. There is no doubt that changes needed to be made, but it would have been a mistake to break up the duo of Jayson Tatum and Brown.
Instead, Brad Stevens and the Celtics built around their star duo, and now the Celtics are reaping the benefits.
When the Celtics flipped their roster this offseason, welcoming Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday into the fold, a learning and adjusting process was inevitable. With such a loaded top six consisting of Tatum, Brown, Porzingis, Holiday, Derrick White, and Al Horford, things were naturally going to look and feel different.
Brown had to make one of the toughest adjustments, and it took him some time to get used to it, but if Boston’s latest homestand is any indicator, the 27-year-old is now thriving in his new role.
“Jaylen has really grown as a player,” head coach Joe Mazzulla said following Sunday afternoon's 114-97 win. “What he did in the fourth quarter with just playmaking, making the right play, whether it was a pass or scoring, or getting to his spot. It’s been really fun to watch him grow as a player this year.”
Brown was phenomenal across the entirety of Boston’s five-game home stand, in which the C’s went a perfect 5-0 against three potential playoff teams in the Eastern Conference. Brown averaged 22.6 points (second-most behind Tatum) on a 55.3% shooting. After shooting 60% from the floor on Sunday, Brown has shot 50% or better in each of his last six games.
Almost in direct response to an ESPN graphic that suggested he was playing selfishly on offense, Brown also led the Celtics in assists over the five-game stretch, averaging 4.6 per game – En route to earning Eastern Conference Player of The Week nominations.
Brown capped off his impressive homestand with an exclamation point against the Magic on Sunday afternoon, blowing the game open with 17 fourth-quarter points on 7-of-9 (77.8%) shooting from the field and 3-of-4 (75%) from deep, scoring or assisting on nine of Boston’s 13 fourth quarter makes to bury the Magic.
“I’m just a basketball player,” Brown said when discussing his big fourth quarter. “I’m a ‘do whatever our team needs’ kind of guy.”
What this Celtics’ team needs from him is a little different from the roles he has had in years past. His scoring numbers are the lowest they’ve been since the 2019-20 season, and his attempts are also the fewest they’ve been since that season, but that’s part of the sacrifice the 2023-24 Celtics have bought into.
“We all talk about sacrificing, and it's not easy,” Jayson Tatum said following Sunday’s win.
“To kind of take a, I don't wanna say step back, but you know, obviously, in points and things like that, and usage or whatever. Just to do all of that so we can have a better chance to win, and knowing that we've added some guys on the team that can help us in those situations, I think it's gonna pay off in the long run. And being on a great team, I think for us being so close these last two years and coming up short, we all understand that we're willing to do whatever it takes to get over that hump come June.”
Though Brown has always been viewed as a scorer, he is tapping into different parts of his game, such as his playmaking and defense, and it has led to him playing some of the best basketball of his career.
"I’ve done what I’ve needed to do in the roles that I’ve been positioned in,” said Brown.
"Different times, I’ve needed to be more of a scorer, needed to be more of an aggressor. The type of player on this team, it’s a lot clearer that I don’t need to score 30 points a game. That would be great, but we’ve got a lot of guys that can put the ball in the cup and are playing well, so making sure I make the right plays and the right reads. It’s helped me see the game a lot differently than before where I’ve been asked to score the ball. So I think it for sure has made me a better basketball player, but also my role is a little different than it’s been over the years as well.”
Brown has also made strides as a leader this season. With the departure of Marcus Smart, there was a leadership void left in the Celtics’ locker room, especially defensively, something Brown has helped tackle since the beginning of the season – preaching the importance of defense and making sure his team doesn’t lose focus on that end.
“We gotta set the tone on defense first and foremost. We gotta continue to lay that as the groundwork and the foundation for success,” Brown said. “I think all of our guys are striving to be All-Defense type of guys, and I want to be the head of that snake. I want to continue to push myself but also push my teammates.”
Though it may not reflect in the box score every night, Brown is playing the best basketball of his career, and if he continues this trajectory, it will take the Celtics to another level.
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