Boston Celtics: Jaylen Brown’s case for ‘Most Improved Player’

Jaylen Brown has had a quietly brilliant season for the Boston Celtics, and although it didn’t translate to an All-Star selection, he’s quite deserving of league-wide recognition.

Perhaps the biggest story for the Boston Celtics this season has been the ascension of Jayson Tatum to superstar status. Since being named to his first All-Star team in January, Tatum has been on an absolute scoring tear, averaging over 30 points per game and pouring in several signature games.

However, what has been lost among all the (well deserved) Tatum storylines and hype, and perhaps even overshadowed by it, has been the massive improvement fellow wing Jaylen Brown has made this season.

By all accounts Brown narrowly missed an All-Star selection of his own. It’s likely he suffered from competing against Tatum for one of those final spots, plus being stuck going head-to-head against veterans like Kyle Lowry in the guard category.

Perhaps he was just a victim of the politics surrounding All-Star selections. But knowing Brown and his character, I think it’s safe to assume the Boston Celtics wing won’t let himself get discouraged.

However it doesn’t take an All-Star nod to recognize just how much Brown has improved this season over last. He has blossomed into the dynamic two-way threat that Celtics fans and coaches hoped he could become when they drafted him out of Cal four years ago.

He’s made significant strides in almost every major statistical category since last season, most notably increasing his scoring (13 to 20.4), rebounding (4.2 to 6.4), and assists (1.4 to 2.2).

Much of that can be attributed to Browns improved ability to get to the rim and his patience in the paint. He’s skilled enough to get into the paint at will, and explosive and strong enough to finish over almost anyone, shooting 70% at the rim. His signature, go-to move this season has been a hard drive into the paint to a hard jump stop, allowing him to patiently wait for the defender to fly by, giving him an easy look at the rim.

He’s also shooting better from three, from the floor, and from the line. He is a legit three point threat, not only shooting at an elite 38% from deep but taking almost two more threes than he did last season. It’s evident he’s become more comfortable and confident shooting from distance, and the work he clearly put in last summer is paying dividends.

Just as important as his offensive production has been his defense. His defensive upside has always been evident, and so far he has fulfilled that promise. He has the body, the motor, and the IQ to be one of the NBA’s premier defenders, and this season he has lived up to that billing. He clearly takes a ton of pride in his defense, and it shows.

Brown is as versatile as they come on the defensive end, and has guarded everyone from James Harden to LeBron James this season. He’s routinely getting the most difficult defensive assignments and has held his own against the NBAs best.

The Boston Celtics playoff hopes in a lot of ways rides on their ability to stop players like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jimmy Butler, and Ben Simmons, and Brown will be a critical part of those efforts.

All things considered, I think Brown has a strong case to be made for the NBA’s ‘Most Improved Player’ award. Brown has made similar (if not bigger) jumps statistically than past winners like Pascal Siakam, Victor Oladipo, and Antetokounmpo. And the award generally goes to players who were overlooked during All-Star weekend, which all those players were in those seasons.

Perhaps more important than anything for these awards is narrative, and in that regard I think Brown is a no brainer. Brown is an upstanding NBA citizen and the youngest member of the NBA Players Association Executive Committee.

His commitment to the NBA brotherhood and his engagement with the NBA community at large shows he’s intent on being much more than a basketball player.

In short, he is a high character, community oriented guy who’s play, through hard work, has finally caught up to the superstar he is off the court.