Report Card: Boston Celtics Draft

3rd Pick – Jaylen Brown

Before you jump off ship, realize Jaylen Brown has a chance to be really special. He’s not close to being done developed, yet was still impressive enough as a freshman and during draft workouts that he ended up being the third pick in the draft.

Jamal Murray, Buddy Hield, or Kris Dunn would have made sense here too, however, it’s hard to say there are many players who have the star potential that Brown holds. The best part is he’ll have time to develop his game behind a very good defensive back court, learning from some of the best wing defenders in the NBA.

Brown enters the NBA as a dominating player on defense, although he still has work to do on offense. His big body and athleticism allows him to guard any position, and also be a force in the paint offensively.

The biggest concern is that he relied too much on bully ball as a freshman at California and during high school. He shot a dreadful 29.4 percent from three last year, and 43.1 percent from the field. He also finished his college career with five straight games in which he shot 30 percent or lower, including California’s NCAA Tournament loss to Hawaii where he shot 1-of-6 (16.7 percent) from the field.

When it comes down to it, Brown should be a really good defensive player in the NBA with a chance at stardom if his jump shot develops. He can post-up and is one of the most athletic finishers in the draft, and I understand why the Celtics drafted a player with star potential after missing out on trading for one.

Grade: B

Next: No. 16 - Guerschon Yabusele