This praise for Jaylen Brown is how Celtics avoid common NBA problem

BOSTON — The Boston Celtics hosted the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday afternoon for a contest between two conference finals teams from last season. Boston was up by 15 at one point, but the Timberwolves battled back, and by the end of the night, they had a chance to win the game on the final possession.

Naz Reid’s shot didn’t fall (and was just after the buzzer), meaning the Celtics just barely hung on to win 107-105. Jaylen Brown’s red-hot start to the night got them going, but by the end of the evening, his play on the other side of the ball was just as important to Boston.

And that’s something Joe Mazzulla loves.

Jaylen Brown and the Celtics love defense

On the final possession of the game, Brown was matched up with Anthony Edwards. The Wolves star drove to the rim, but Brown stayed with him stride for stride. Edwards kicked out, and Minnesota found an open shooter, but it was too late.

Brown’s defense on Edwards helped lead the charge on that play, and his willingness to set an example on that end of the floor is one of the things that Mazzulla loves about his star players.

“Yeah, it's great to have a player of his caliber take defense to another level and take matchups,” Mazzulla said. “When your best players are some of your best defenders, it can kind of set the tone for your team in the locker room defensively. So, he takes pride in individual matchups, and he did a great job defensively.”

Brown finished the game with 29 points, two rebounds, and four assists while shooting 10-of-18 from the floor and 7-of-10 from behind the three-point line. That said, five of his threes were in the first few minutes of the game, as he was a perfect 5-of-5 from deep to start the contest, accounting for Boston’s first 15 points.

The Celtics have built an incredible defensive lineup, and that’s largely thanks to Jayson Tatum and Brown’s eagerness to thrive on the defensive end.

Too often, teams around the league have incredible superstar players who only excel on one end of the floor. The Celtics do not have that problem, and the impact of that trickles down to the rest of the roster.

Teams like the Dallas Mavericks and Atlanta Hawks may have amazing offenses, but their defenses will likely always struggle because of who is leading the way. At the very least, they'll have a glaring weakness.

Brown’s defense on Edwards on the final play, and throughout the night, was crucial to the Celtics picking up a victory. And if Boston wants to win another title, they’ll need their stars to keep putting in the work defensively.