Boston Celtics: How Jaylen Brown Can Emerge as an NBA All-Star

3) Mental Fortitude – When the intangibles come into play

Jaylen Brown’s god-given physical gifts are a major reason for his increased production in his second year in the league.

With Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward both missing significant time in the regular season as well as the playoffs, Brown and Tatum both had to step up and lead a team back to the Eastern Conference Finals through relentless physical play on both ends of the floor.

Throughout the series versus the Cleveland Cavaliers last year, Brown averaged 21 ppg, 5 rpg, and shot over 40 percent from beyond the three-point line. His production was often times in the 20-point range, but it was the few games where he faltered that hurt the Celtics the most.

In a pivotal Game 7 that saw LeBron James take over offensively, Brown produced just 13 points on 28 percent shooting from the field.

While mental fortitude is something that can only be strengthened with more experience in the game, Brown’s workouts with legendary guard Tracy McGrady could have only helped further shape his mental toughness.

If the Celtics are to go back to the NBA Finals this year, Brown will have had to make major improvements in these areas in order to give his team the best possibility to compete against the likes of the Golden State Warriors.