Jaylen Brown Setting Tone For Big Sophomore Leap

Jaylen Brown has been making strides this offseason, building on a budding offensive repertoire.

After an enticing rookie season, expectations have skyrocketed for Boston Celtics small forward Jaylen Brown heading into his second year with the squad.

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The team is now facing heightened expectations following the acquisition of free agent Gordon Hayward. Young bucks such as Brown will be tasked with playing prominent, veteran-type roles in big matchups.

Specifically for the California product, the bar on the defensive side of the ball will be set sky high. With shooting guard Avery Bradley departing for Detroit in a July deal, Brown will often be saddled with guarding the opposition’s most fearsome wing scorer. Brown chipped in 1.3 defensive win shares last season and has impressed the Celtics coaching staff with his quick feet on defense in addition to his long frame which allows him to contest shots.

Brown is not widely considered as one of the NBA’s premier defenders, but he could join that conversation in some time. Just two weeks ago, Philadelphia 76ers shooting guard J.J. Redick mentioned Brown’s name as the first person to come to mind when HoopsHype reporter Alex Kennedy asked him to name the league’s toughest defenders.

When Boston faces off against the Washington Wizards on Christmas Day, expect Brown to be hounding shooting guard Bradley Beal. When the Cleveland Cavaliers come to town on February 11 prior to Paul Pierce‘s jersey retirement ceremony, Brown will be tasked with defending both LeBron James and Kyrie Irving. If the Celtics wish to emerge from the middle of the pack in defensive rating, Brown will be the catalyst.

However, Brown’s offseason has included more than just defense. His social media profiles have been stuffed with episodes of him working on his offensive arsenal. This burgeoning skill set was on display in the Africa game earlier in August. Brown led Team World to a 108-97 victory with a team-best 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting. He also chipped in three rebounds, three assists, pair of steals, and his efficiency was notable.

He began his night with a silky-smooth finger roll in the first quarter before taking over in the game’s final period. With just 7:35 remaining, Brown drove past Team Africa’s Victor Oladipo and went directly toward the rim protecting defender. Brown took contact, then hung in the air tossing in an improbable NBA Jam-like layup.

Prior to that, Brown had just knocked in a Carmelo Anthony-esque three-pointer off of a left-handed dribble. Just 3:00 later, his surge continued with a reverse layup underneath the basket. The layup featured an excellent post move by Brown — he caught the ball on the right block and spun towards the baseline, leaving Oladipo in the dust as he skied for the lay-in.

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Overall, the exhibition served as a microcosm of Brown’s development throughout this offseason. Improvements which should be noticeable once the 2017-18 NBA campaign tips off.

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