Needed improvement for Jaylen Brown No. 3) Improving court awareness
Part of Brown’s ball-handling dilemma is his vision.
He does not see the second or third level of the defense when he’s getting ready to drive or flow into a pick-and-roll. Instead, he only sees what’s in front of him, which leads to him trapping himself in the teeth of the defense.
He would have more success as a scorer and passer if he looked for what the defense would do instead of what the defense is doing. Guys like Robert Williams and Al Horford buy Brown more time, but in the end, Brown has to be the one that sees what’s in front of him.
Improving court vision and court awareness is not remarkably straightforward, as it comes with a lot of film reviews and a lot of five on five reps.
It’s more about learning than tweaking, differing from how Brown may work on his shooting or dribbling. However, seeing as Brown is one of the most intelligent players in the NBA off the court, I think it’s fair to say he’ll have an easy time sharpening his on-court awareness.
The key to unlocking the last two skill sets that I talked about is having better awareness.
On the defensive end, if Brown can start to see more plays before they happen, he can realize his defensive potential to the fullest extent.
If Brown can begin to anticipate what the defense will throw at him quicker, he can prepare more counters.
The game will become easier and slower for him, which massively helps come playoff time when the game does slow down, and Brown needs to be more aware of what’s going on around him.
With a leap in pace, awareness, and defense, all of Brown’s numbers will skyrocket.
His passing will finally take a turn for the best, and his scoring will possibly reach into the 27 points per game territory. His improved defense will give him an All-Defensive trajectory and maybe a chance at an All-NBA nod.
He’ll be one of the most versatile players in the NBA, and his fit next to Jayson Tatum will only get better.