Your guide for defending Jaylen Brown as an NBA All-Star starter
By Ian Riaf
A few days ago, I opened Twitter and found a sad but expected result on the second returns for All-Star fan voting. In fourth place, Jaylen Brown far distant in votes, from third place James Harden, Kyrie Irving, and Bradley Beal. Fans are catching on to Brown’s brilliance, but this result saddened me.
Yes, a “getting to know you period” exists as Jaylen Brown likely heads into his first (but should -be second) All-Star appearance. But looking at the three names above, based on this season alone, there is enough on Brown’s side to strengthen a starter case.
Beal, Irving, and Harden all have a brand name on their side. Older and more established in their likeness, the average fan is far more aware of their existence. Beal and Irving score more points per game, which, unfortunately, is still how the NBA ranks players. Yes, this is true when you go to vote. It’s sorted by points per game. Yup, points per game – we are back in 2005.
But I digress. This article was about Jaylen Brown, not Bradley Beal. Again the fan vote isn’t the end-all-be-all. It’s precisely 50% of the end-all-be-all as media members and players will hopefully self-correct and offer a more nuanced perspective on JB. But if not, I will help you in your arguments for choosing Brown over any other Eastern Conference guard. While Zach LaVine ranks closely behind Brown in the vote-getting department, the three primary players of interest right now are Bradley Beal, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving.
Are we ready? Let’s go.