Your guide for defending Jaylen Brown as an NBA All-Star starter

The argument for Jaylen Brown against Kyrie Irving 

Availability + context + yes you guessed it, defense

In my opinion, Kyrie Irving is the hardest case to argue, but still, there exists a case to be made. With the Brooklyn Nets winning (and losing) games in ABA style shoot-outs, consistency and defense again are at the forefront of this argument.

I know this is a Boston Celtics website, and I may get some pushback for saying this…but Kyrie Irving gets way too much shade thrown his way.

Irving may have already forced Brooklyn’s hand. His absence from the team may have sent their front office into more of a scramble when going after James Harden. Several analysts believe that Brooklyn gave up too much. To trade away one of their best young defensive bigs in Jarett Allen, a player they desperately need right now, plus draft capital and Caris LeVert. Irving returned to play and since then has been one of the league’s most potent scorers, but still, this seven-game lull is a matter of attendance.

Irving may have already forced Brooklyn’s hand. His absence from the team may have sent their front office into more of a scramble when going after James Harden. Several analysts believe that Brooklyn gave up too much. The Nets traded away one of their best young defensive bigs in Jarett Allen, a player they desperately need right now, plus draft capital and Caris LeVert. Irving returned to play and since then has been one of the league’s most potent scorers, but still, this seven-game lull is a matter of attendance.

He wasn’t there for his team, his team scrambled, he returned and has played super well since then…but he still wasn’t there for his team. This caused some brief internal dysfunction and took the focus away from the Nets and onto Kyrie himself.

Polarizing, to say the least, off the court, let’s get back to Irving’s on-court numbers. When available, he has been one of the most efficient players in the league. Using the shooting efficiency argument for Brown vs. Irving won’t work at the moment. Michael Pina of Sports Illustrated pointed out how Irving, thus far, is one of only three players to average over 27 points while being a member of the 50/40/90 club.

Shifting the focus towards defense, in this same article, which is a fantastic breakdown of Irving’s season thus far, Pina points out some possible issues of defensive slippage for Kyrie Irving. As Celtics fans, we’ve seen this story before.

Jaylen Brown, at the age of 24, has remained a steady locker room presence. JB addresses the issue at hand. He takes accountability for losses, doesn’t blame others or outside forces, and remains poised. Sure, you can’t quantify leadership in a stat. That said, Brown has played significantly more games, with fewer days of rest, with less surrounding talent, and with more onerous defensive responsibilities.

Wise beyond his years, Jaylen Brown is a culture setter. After getting an invite to the Slam Dunk Contest as a ROOKIE, Brown opted out, stating that he wanted to use this time to help his TEAM.

I’ll say it again, Jaylen Brown is a culture-setter. That should count for something.