Should Jaylen Brown Still Start?

The first preseason game has now come and gone. This can only mean one thing… it’s time for some MAJOR overreactions.

One of the most notable of these comes from an ongoing debate for Celtics fans everywhere. Should Marcus Smart start over Jaylen Brown?

Brown didn’t play terrible last game. However, he also didn’t do much to space himself from Smart. Highlight dunks aside, Brown still relies far too much on his athleticism. He needs to work out the kinks in his game if he ever intends on becoming elite.

The first of these problems is his 3-point shooting. During Summer League, it seemed clear that Brown was advised to shoot the 3 early and often. As the Celtics shooting guard, he needs to replace the offensive versatility Avery Bradley gave them a year prior. Part of that offensive game comes from behind the 3-point line. Last year, Bradley shot 39% from behind the arc, while shooting an average of 5 3’s a game. Brown’s first season saw him shoot 34% from 3, while attempting just 1.6 3-pointers a game. During their preseason game against the Hornets, Brown went 0-2 from beyond the arc. Not exactly an encouraging sign.

Brown also continues to struggle with his free throw shooting. As a player who lives by attacking the rim, he’s still an unreliable free throw shooter. Last season, he shot just 68% from the stripe and against the Hornets he made just 50%. If this inconsistency to shoot from the line continues, he will struggle to keep the starting position.

As I stated earlier, this isn’t to say Brown played terribly. He did show flashes of improvement throughout the game. One of the most notable of these was his defense. Brown was solid defensively. He played well when he was both on and off ball defensively. He even poked the ball away and earned himself a steal early in the game.

Brown also looked impressive as a facilitator. Summer League gave us glimpses of Brown playing court-general for the offense and, while it didn’t always look pretty in the summer, he was impressive on Monday. He racked up 3 assists in this role and looked more comfortable than in the past.

Still, the question must be asked — should Marcus Smart be starting? If you haven’t already heard, Smart has significantly slimmed down this offseason losing nearly 20 pounds. He also spent most of the offseason working on his offensive game, most notably, his 3-pointer.

During the game on Monday, his offseason work showed. He looked leaner, quicker and had a new found confidence in his 3 point shot. Smart shot the 3 a grand total of 7 times converting on 3 attempts. That put him at 42% on the game. I don’t know about you, but if Smart can nail 42% of his 3’s this season I’m all for starting him.

On top of that, you know what you’re going to get from Smart. Once again, the former Oklahoma State Cowboy looked solid on defense. He played as he always does — tough. Smart also looked comfortable as a facilitator again. He made several nice entry passes and rotated the ball well. I fully expect him to build on his career-high 4.6 assists per game last year.

Next: Boston Celtics: Ranking the Young Bigs After 1 Preseason Game

At the end of the day, I understand what Brad Stevens’ game plan. Smart is supposed to lead the second unit, while Brown is supposed to learn from the starters to eventually grow into a future superstar.

Still, if Brown struggles throughout the year, this may be an interesting storyline to follow.

Editor’s Note: Check out this video of Marcus Smart beating Jayson Tatum and Brown 1-on-1.