Evaluating the debut of Jaylen Brown for the Boston Celtics in the Pre Season
It was only the preseason but Boston Celtics fans got a solid early look at what to expect from Jaylen Brown this season. Brown reaching his potential will take time and development, but the top three pick seems more than ready to contribute this year. At first, I assumed Brown would be brought along slowly by Brad Stevens early in the year. Yet if the preseason is an indication, Brown could be a double digit scorer off the bench.
Coupled with the ankle injury to Marcus Smart, the Celtics will rely on the rookie to provide major minutes off the bench. Brown is fortunate he can come off the bench behind Jae Crowder and feast on second unit squads. Not having to be matched up with Eastern Conference wings like DeMarre Carroll, Paul George, or Carmelo Anthony will certainty allow the rookie to build some confidence and grow into his role.
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Plays that stood out to me this preseason was the coast to coast jam by brown against the Sixers. Yes, of course a a monster dunk stands out and seems simple. But it brings flashbacks of the bright spots of Jeff Green in a Celtics uniform. True Celtics fan will recall, Green used to get at least six to eight buckets some games just using sheer athleticism going coast to coast. If Brown can replicate Jeff Green’s offensive game (besides the inconsistency) the Celtics brass will be very happy.
As seen by this pre season, his jump shot and shot creating ability will take time. Shooting 28 percent from deep shows Brown isn’t going to be a sniper in year one. However, his shooting was almost double that of Smart’s abysmal 14 percent. Yikes! If Smart is sidelined for a prolonged period of time with the ankle injury and keeps up his horrendous shooting, Brown could begin to cut into his minutes. The rookie has already shown a more advanced offensive than Smart that includes a post up game and superior playmaking. Also, turnovers (only 1.7 per game) have not been a major problem as it is with most rookies.
Brown will be able to use his athleticism and size to make an impact on both ends of the floor. The biggest revelation from Brown’s performance is Brad Stevens should definitely be able to use him in a small ball lineup of Horford-Brown-Crowder-Bradley-Thomas.. Brown’s 6’7 frame will allow the rookie to play at the 4 and exploit mismatches against slower forwards.
Stevens will welcome Brown’s addition because he can shift Crowder to the 3 in the small lineup. It may spell bad news for Smart’s spot in that lineup if the rookie continues to outplay him in the season as he did this preseason. I disagree with the notion that Brown, Smart, or Rozier can replace Turner’s offensive productivity as their playmaking leaves much to be desired. Yet if Brown can continue to shoot a respectable percentage from deep and not be injury prone as Smart, he may prove to be the most reliable option Stevens has to close games to fill Turner’s void. All in all, if Brown duplicates or exceeds his preseason stat line of 10.7 PTS, 2.9 REB, and 1.0 STL the Celtics will be ecstatic.