It’s been a weird few weeks for the Boston Celtics. After a hot start to the season, they have come crashing back down to earth. They’re still 30-13 on the season, but in their last 15 games or so, they’ve been hovering around the .500 mark. That’s not exactly living up to the standards of where they want to be, and Jaylen Brown could help them.
On Monday night against the Golden State Warriors, Brown played extended minutes in the first quarter, which is a new (but old) sub-pattern. Last year, he often played the entire first quarter. This season, Jayson Tatum has taken on that role in most games. But lately, the Celtics have been getting off to some slow starts.
And Brown thinks that’s something he could help with.
Jaylen Brown should be playing first quarters again
When asked if playing more in the first quarter against the Warriors helped him (and the team), Brown said that he often felt as though his energy prevented slow starts.
“Yeah, you could say that,” Brown said via CLNS Media. “I feel like I’m usually the one to set the tone for the team. So, sometimes, not being out there, we kind of have a sluggish start. I feel like at different times in my career, that’s been me to help negate that. But, different year. Things get switched up, and you just got to be alright with that. I don’t really complain or anything, I just try to come out and be the best version of myself.”
In the Celtics’ last 15 games, they are 8-7. A few of those games have included very slow starts from Boston—something Brown believes he could help with.
As he mentioned, Brown doesn’t want to complain, but based on the way he said what he said, it seems as though he wants to be playing the entirety of the first quarters again.
In his eyes, his energy and sparkplug scoring helps get the Celtics on track early in the game. And from there, they can keep things rolling.
Boston’s “Jaylen Brown problem” has nothing to do with Brown himself being a problem. The problem is that Brown isn’t on the court in the same spots he was last year.
So far this season, Brown’s efficiency is down significantly. He’s upped his playmaking numbers, but he’s not the same scorer he was last year. A big part of that could be the change in rotation.
If the Celtics want to get Brown back on track and bring back the red-hot first quarters that he helped lead last season, adjusting the problem of Brown’s first-quarter absences could be an intriguing idea to explore.
Solving this problem should be as simple as playing Brown more in the first quarter.