Catalyst to postseason run: Jaylen Brown holds the keys to success as the season moves forward
Given the way the season has unfolded so far, the NBA world knows that Jayson Tatum is going to get his. Behind his length on the defensive end, and creativity on the offensive end, Tatum has emerged as one of the top contenders for the MVP for the 2022-23 campaign. Averaging 31.1 points per game along with over eight rebounds, and four assists per game, Tatum has cemented himself into the conversation as the league’s best player. Lost in the shadows during this MVP-caliber season is the former California guard, Jaylen Brown.
Of course, there are going to be those games while Brown struggles to take care of the basketball, but what he brings to this team through his play on the court, and leadership off of it make him arguably the most essential piece to the goal the entire organization seeks to accomplish in the middle of June. He is the closer, and netting 23 in the fourth quarter against Minnesota demonstrated his ability to overcome a poor 36 minutes and finish as great players do.
Following an emphatic win over the Timberwolves at home, Brown reflected on his performance, stating:
"“There are highs and there are lows in this game…I’ve seen some of the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. I’ve had nights where I didn’t miss a shot, and then I’ve had nights where I seemed like I couldn’t make a shot. It’s like that sometimes, we needed a win tonight, so I wasn’t going to allow myself to just stay in that same place all three quarters.”"
In one of the best outings from Tatum and Brown in which the both of them combined for 77 points against the Rockets, Brown netted 15 points in just 10 minutes of play in the first quarter including the accumulation of two steals. It was the third most points scored in the first 12 minutes of a single contest this season. As Houston continued to hang around, and give the Cs the best it had on the second night of a back-to-back, Jaylen Brown was continuously there to knock down that much-needed bucket to give Boston confidence.
Even if it was not his basket that did it, Brown’s aggressiveness completely changes the game for the Celtics. When it is attacking the teeth of the defense, and finishing strong at the rim or finding the multitude of threats around the perimeter, the opposition’s defense faces a seemingly insurmountable task to guard a halfcourt offense that puts its opponents exactly where it wants them, frantically rotating.
One play that stands out was late in the third quarter against Houston. With around 3:50 to play and the Rockets down just five, Brown took it upon himself to end the opposition’s momentum. He attacked the versatile rookie, Tari Eason, and found himself right in front of the Spanish big man Usman Garuba. Jaylen Brown took the contact and finished creatively with his right hand. The 26-year-old then scored the next five points, including an emphatic left-hand slam in transition to put the Cs in the perfect position to pull away with the final quarter approaching.
Arguably his best tool, the mid-range jump shot is one of the lost arts in today’s game but Brown has revived it, producing one of the most effective pull-up jump shots in the association. He is one of four players in the NBA along with Kevin Durant to be shooting over 57 percent from the 10-14 foot range with 1.6 attempts or more. On top of that, the California product is one of nine players to have collected over a 47.5 percent shooting percentage in the 15-19 foot range inside the arc with at least two attempts per contest. Tatum may be continuing to dazzle on the offensive end, enforcing his confidence that he is the best player on the floor each time out, but Brown still needs that recognition.
The 26-year-old guard is putting up nearly one more shot within five feet compared to what he did last season. Boston is a much more difficult team to guard in the halfcourt when Brown uses his strength to attack the basket. There are only seven players in the NBA that average 27 points, over seven rebounds, and three assists, and the Cs have two of them. The matchup against Houston demonstrated why this team may have one of the best duos in the entire league this season.
These two stars are doing things that not many in the history of the league have done before. Despite Brown being the latter with more turnovers than the other, when it takes care of the basketball, the results are evident. In games where the Georgia native has totaled two or fewer giveaways, Boston is 12-3. Five out of the 10 losses this season have been when Brown has accounted for five or more turnovers.
The Celtics are nothing without Jaylen Brown in the postseason
Without Jaylen Brown in the postseason, it was clear the Cs were missing something a few years ago. Brooklyn eliminated Boston in five games back in 2021 without the No. 3 overall selection in the 2016 NBA Draft, and with his confidence, Jayson Tatum now has an enormous amount of pressure off of his shoulders to carry the load. In 12 games during this campaign, Brown has reached 30 points. He is right behind Marcus Smart for rotational players in steals per 100 possessions with 1.6. Some say the NBA does give Brown his due credit, but at the end of the day, it is nowhere near where it should be.
He holds the keys to the success of this club and how consistently this year’s team is going to perform in both the regular season and postseason. Tatum may receive the shine as the All-Star starter, and MVP candidate, but given the way Jaylen Brown affects the game on all three levels, and how the contest completely shifts when his confidence takes a jump, he is arguably the most vital asset this club has.