Boston Celtics: 3 C’s that over performed during the 2019-20 season

Jaylen Brown

Of all the players on the Boston Celtics’ roster in 2019-20, none have had the magnitude of surprise that fourth year wing Jaylen Brown has had.

Sure, many of you will probably jump to the comments section before reading the article in full and say “where’s Jayson Tatum on this list?” Yes, while he had an incredible year and could very well find himself in the running for the Most Improved Player award — averaged 23.6 points & 7.1 rebounds on 45 percent shooting from the field, 40 percent shooting from 3 and was a fricken All-Star for God’s sake — it was the worst kept secret that fans and media alike expected a massive jump from Tatum in year three.

The buzz surrounding Brown, however? Far more malicious.

Prior to the start of the regular season, the 23 year old and the C’s agreed to terms on a four-year, $115 million contract extension that had the sports world buzzing. When this news broke to the public, we went to Twitter and asked you, the fans, whether or not the wing was deserving of such a lucrative deal. The reception was, to say the least, unenthusiastic:

After a season in which he lost his starting job and averaged an underwhelming — in comparison to preseason expectations — 13 points and 4.2 rebounds on 47 percent shooting from the floor and 34 percent shooting from deep, many thought the salary in which Brown received was far too large for the production he had put forth in the seasons prior.

Many looked at the far superior season of Buddy Hield and his eventual salary of $94 million over four years and immediately wrote off Brown’s extension as a gross overpay.

And how did the shooting guard respond to this criticism? By putting up career numbers all across the board.

Through 50 games, Brown put up averages of 20.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.1 steals per game on 49 percent shooting from the field and 38 percent shooting from 3.

He was a boarder-line All-Star this season, and had seemingly everyone applauding the wing, including our very own Andrew Dilorio:

"In previous years, Brown has shown both a reluctance to drive to the rim and a tendency to get a bit out of control due to his amazing athleticism. Now, he has learned to be in control his body, while improving both his vision and patience to improve his offensive game. He still drives to the hoop with ease, but now he’s an efficient driver; something that’s propelled the offense all year. Another promising area for Brown is his shot chart. 84 percent of his shots this season have been either within 10 feet of the basket, or beyond the arc. This is what coaches look for in efficient scorers in today’s NBA."

Despite coming into the year with sounds of displeasure and disappointment from the C’s fanbase surrounding Brown, by the time of the season’s suspension on March 11th, nothing but songs of praise could be heard.

The Boston Celtics as a whole surprised many in 2019-20, but no other player out performed their preseason expectations quite like Jaylen Brown did.