Jaylen Brown Continues to be Overlooked

Jaylen Brown is still not getting the credit he deserves

When the Boston Celtics found out that they would be picking third in last year’s draft, there was some concern about them missing out because this was truly a two player draft, with Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram being the only two top caliber players. When the Celtics passed on the so called most NBA ready prospect Kris Dunn, a lot of people were quick to jump on Danny Ainge for selecting one of the rawest prospects in Jaylen Brown.

Largely thanks to Simmons missing the season, Ingram being underwhelming and Dunn completely flopping in Minnesote, the Brown pick no longer looks like a mistake. That being said, anyone who watched Brown on a regular basis will tell you he has become a lot more than just not a mistake, and yet he still does not get the respect of other rookies.

Looking strictly at per game numbers, Brown does not look all that impressive. Those numbers suggest he is an occasional contributor that can fill in spots, particularly when the injuries are piling up. Those numbers, however, do not even come close to describing the kind of player that Brown is proving to be.

The unfortunate reality is that those numbers are still holding him back in much of the media rankings. Most people are more impressed with rookies putting up bigger numbers on worse teams, then recognizing the remarkable season Brown is having as a legitimate and consistent part of the rotation of the number one seed in the Eastern Conference.

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There is no doubting that Dario Saric and Malcolm Brogdon deserve all the credit they are getting, but the perception is becoming that Brown is not even close to those guys. Rookie of the year rankings rarely feature Brown anywhere near the top three, and now he cannot even get ranked higher than some of his teammates that have not played a single minute in the NBA.

ESPN’s Chad Ford recently released his top 10 players from the 2016 draft. Brown is not entirely disrespected because he does make the top seven. That being said, it is a near travesty that both Ante Zizic and Guerschon Yabusele, players the Celtics should still be extremely exicted about, are ranked ahead of him.

Brown is also put behind the likes of Skal Labissiere, Jamal Murray and Ingram, who are putting up stronger numbers on non contending teams. Not to take anything away from what they are accomplishing, but they would be hard pressed to get any minutes on this Celtics team, let alone become a starter in the absence of Avery Bradley.

Brown has played a vital role in allowing the Celtics to be successful without Bradley. They quickly found out that Marcus Smart was needed to run the second unit, and Brown’s ability to play comfortably with the starters is what allowed Stevens to do that. Brown would not have been given that role if Stevens did not trust him completely on the defensive end, while not threatening the rhythm of the offense.

This is not to say that Brown deserves to be the rookie of the year, but he is currently being viewed as a middle of the pack level prospect from the 2016 draft, and that could not be further from the truth.

It may not even be too crazy to say Brown has the most raw talent on the entire Celtics roster, and it is a lot easier to see that while watching him play, rather than evaluating his statistics.

Brown has not only done the incredibly difficult task of consistent contributing for the top team in the East, but he has also shown the potential to be a truly elite two way player. His fearlessness on defense has allowed him to do a decent job on players like LeBron James, while having the confidence to take the most clutch three pointers.

Brown is the most athletic finisher on the team, and is already a top threat in transition. His strength through contact is scary to think about, considering how good he is now and how good he can eventually be.

Brown has surpassed any expectations there could have been on him entering this season, and it feels like the national hype has gone down. He is a player that Stevens can trust in any defensive situation, which is a near impossible task for a rookie. His shooting percentage has jumped above 45 percent, and his recent three point shooting has been hovering around 40 percent.

Brown has done everything that Stevens has asked of him this season, and he has improved his game in every way he has needed to. He already has great versatility on both ends, and has developed the aggressiveness that has made Smart so important, just as a much better finisher.

The per game numbers make his rookie of the year case difficult to make, but do not let anyone fool you into thinking that Brown is not every bit as talented as any rookie we have seen this season, except for the generational phenom Joel Embiid, who still needs to prove he can stay healthy.

There is no doubt that Brown is the best prospect that Stevens has received in his time with the Celtics, and if his growth in just this rookie season is any indicator, he is on a path to become maybe the most important piece of the future of this team.

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To see Brown ranked behind six players in the 2016 draft is laughable at this point, but that will allow him to fit right in on a team that is filled with players that have the biggest chips on their shoulder.