Boston Celtics need a signature game 7 from Jaylen Brown

The Boston Celtics need Jaylen Brown to have a signature game seven at TD Garden

Jaylen Brown has stepped in a special way this postseason, and that was after already being one of the most improved played in the NBA. He is averaging over 20 points, while shooting 48 percent overall and 40 percent from three. Brown has looked like the best player on the court at times, and has shown the highest offensive ceiling on the Boston Celtics against the Milwaukee Bucks.

Brown already has two signature 30+ point games in this series, and has hit double digits in every game. The problem is that this Celtics roster needs more than just reliability, and a special game seven performance would make a new kind of statement in his young career.

Brown plays with all the aggressiveness and intensity that is needed to take over games, and his ability to score at all three levels has made him the top scoring option in this series. In game seven, however, they need the very best of Brown, because they have no been able to trust anything on offense the last two games.

The Celtics would love to see someone else break out too, but Brown is the one player who has already done it these playoffs. He has elevated his game in a way that no one else on the roster has, and they need to be able to expect that in game seven. The Celtics always have to do things as a unit, but that may not be enough when you are accounting for Giannis Antetokounmpo.

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Brown does not have the be the best player on the court, but he needs to close the gap on Antetokounmpo. The Celtics can be confident in the ability of their secondary players to get an advantage, but Giannis is a terrifying game seven force, and the Celtics need to have something special to account for him.

There still are options, because Terry Rozier, Marcus Morris, Jayson Tatum and Al Horford have all shown this ability this season, but Brown has taken on that role more than anyone else these playoffs, and he has taken on the burden of that responsibility, at least to the largest degree.

Brown also lives for these moments. He understands what a game seven in TD Garden is like, but this is a completely different situation with him being a primary option. Brown has an opportunity to have the definitive performance of his young career, and doing that in game seven is how you start a real legacy in Boston.

Brown is ready to embrace everything about this franchise, and is preparing to be a cornerstone for a generation. You do not get that kind of recognition if you are not stepping up in these game seven situations, and Brown is going to be ready to do anything that his team needs, and he will be the last person to hesitate in any situation.

The Celtics cannot have Brown thinking he needs to do this on his own. Any kind of hero ball will shatter Brown’s chance to have a signature game, because the most important thing is always going to be getting that win. The Celtics needs Brown to step up, but what everyone else doesn’t is still more important.

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Brown needs to find a way to make it work with all the pieces around him, because if he has a signature career performance while the rest of the team does their job without being a liability, the Celtics should be getting ready for a second round series against the Philadelphia 76ers.

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