Boston Celtics: 3 potential side effects of Jaylen Brown’s extension

Sky-high expectations

Quite possibly the biggest side effect from Jaylen Brown’s contract extension — other than the increased size of his wallet — is the expectation of greatness from both the organization and the fan base.

When the news broke that the Boston Celtics and Brown had agreed on a 4-year, $115 million contract extension, the reception was, to say the least, unenthusiastic.

Throughout the duration of his, now, four-year career, Brown has proven to be a vastly skilled wing with tremendous upside. The problem is, it has yet to fully be unleashed.

For his career, the 22-year-old has averaged 11.2 points, four rebounds and just over an assist per game on 37% shooting from 3. Last season, we even saw Brown lose his starting gig in the Celtics rotation. And, yet, he was still bestowed the second largest contract extension to start out 2019-20.

Buddy Hield, another recipient of an extension this year, came in at third with a 4-year, $94 million deal. While this is still very good money, in comparison to Brown, it’s a bit of a farce.

For his career, Hield has averaged 14.9 points, four boards and over two assists per contest on 42% shooting from deep. Last season, the 26-year-old brought his game to new heights, as he managed to hit career highs all across the board, most notably in his points-per-game stats where he averaged 21 a night. With comparable 2018-19 numbers to five time All-Star Klay Thompson, Hield was still given less money than Brown who, again, is uber talented, but has yet to even crack the 15 point-per-game and 40+ 3-point shooting percentage threshold.

Look, what’s done is done and, obviously, the Boston Celtics faithful wish him nothing but the best. Do we believe Brown can establish himself as a star in this league? Of course! However, with this new contract, expectations for this hope are a bit more time sensitive.

It’s very possible Jaylen Brown proves worthy of this contract extension, starting as soon as even the 2019-20 season. However, if his game plateaus or, even worse, lessens over the coming years, he could soon oft find his name residing in the NBA’s trade rumor mill.

Again, this can’t be reiterated enough: we here at Hardwood Houdini hope Jaylen Brown proves worthy of this extension, and we truly believe he is capable of doing that. However, as of right now, make no mistake about it Boston Celtics fans, expectations for the team’s $115 million man are through the roof!