Celtics getting brand new Jaylen Brown lesson when they needed it most

Jaylen Brown always wanted the chance to showcase what he could do as a team's top option. Sacrificing to win a championship is a price worth paying. Still, the desire to prove that he could do more was a flame that one could not extinguish.

This season, he is finally getting to be his best self. To touch his full potential, without restriction. Brown is thriving with that opportunity. So are the Boston Celtics.

"I think this has been my favorite season so far," said Brown after Monday's 103-95 victory vs. the Indiana Pacers. "Being able to get an opportunity to lead a group of guys who -- some of us -- we have some championship experience, but we have five or six new guys who haven't really played NBA basketball, and now we look like one of the better teams in the league. And that's just credit to our coaching staff and credit to our leadership."

Jaylen Brown is leading his teammates through 'Celtic University'

Monday night at TD Garden, he generated a game-high 31 points. The second unit led the charge on a comeback that erased a 20-point deficit. Brown delivered the knockout blow in Boston's 103-95 win over Indiana.

The four-time All-Star scored 20 of his points in the final two frames. He registered 14 in the fourth quarter -- the Pacers finished with 13. His aggressive, downhill attack led to producing 12 in the paint after halftime. That also led to tacking on five more at the free-throw line.

"I feel like I settled," said Brown post-game about his offensive approach in the opening 24 minutes. "I was just kind of casually getting into my shots. And in the first half, I felt like they were good looks. I missed some shots that you guys have probably seen me make over and over again all season, but I feel like I just wasn't a threat enough downhill. So, second half, I just was like, 'You know what? I'm getting to the basket.'"

The Celtics' latest victory improves their record to 18-11. They are now just 2.5 games behind the New York Knicks for the second seed in the Eastern Conference standings.

Brown's play has placed him on NBA.com's MVP ladder. He is averaging 29.4 points while shooting nearly 50 percent from the field. The former Finals MVP is also grabbing 6.4 rebounds and dishing out 4.9 assists, and swiping 1.1 steals per contest.

Between his efficient scoring and ability to create quality opportunities for his teammates with his downhill attack and the attention he commands, the tenth-year wing is acting as a rising tide that lifts all boats. It's exactly how he envisioned himself in this role, working with more responsibility.

Brown is also relishing the chance to lead a group full of individuals eager to prove themselves. Josh Minott and Luka Garza came over from the Minnesota Timberwolves for that reason. Jordan Walsh, Neemias Queta, and Baylor Scheierman have worked for it in Boston. And Hugo Gonzalez left Madrid at 19 years old to challenge himself at the highest level of basketball.

Monday, when asked about what stands out to him about what's transpiring with the Celtics this season, the 29-year-old quickly responded, "Mentality. There's been a lot of education. We call it, like, well, me and Joe [Mazzulla] call it "Celtic University," where it's like, you're in class, and you [have] got to pay attention.

"Sometimes, you [have] got to clap your hands, wake up, 'Josh,' you know, or something like that. But it's like being in school, and we're going through, breakingdown the footage and trying to really expand our knowledge for the game."

A core principle of "Celtic University?"

"Be the smarter playing team," said Brown. "We've been saying it from the beginning, and sometimes it doesn't look like it. But, you know, we look at how to approach each and every game from a strategy, tactic standpoint, and I feel like we, from the point of the start of the season to [where] we're at now, our basketball -- our IQ, has increased. Our poise has increased. Our understanding in the game has increased. And that's really what it's about. Continue to grow and get better. And I feel like I'm watching these guys become better basketball players in a matter of three months."

That was on display as the second unit changed the game against Indiana, propelling the hosts as they outscored their guests 60-34 in the final two frames.

As the semester closes and 2026 approaches, and they continue their indoctrination at this prestigious university, one with 18 NBA championship banners hanging from the TD Garden rafters, their latest exam tested what they could accomplish with minimal help from their veteran leaders. The result was the ideal way to ring in the new year.