Regardless of whether he takes home the hardware, Jaylen Brown is having an MVP-caliber season. The Boston Celtics star is thriving with more responsibility on offense. While he has spent his career proving he's willing to sacrifice for the sake of winning, this is an opportunity he has long desired. Who wouldn't want the chance to showcase their full potential?
It should come as no surprise that he's maximizing this chance. Brown consistently returns better at the start of the new season than when the previous campaign ended.
This year, he's averaging 29.7 points on 50.1 percent shooting. He's also grabbing 6.4 rebounds, dishing out 4.9 assists, and swiping 1.1 steals per game.
Furthermore, the four-time All-Star ranks third in the East in scoring. He's tied for the conference lead in 30 and 40-point games, and he's limiting opponents to the second-lowest field goal percentage among 111 players to defend at least 300 field goal attempts (39.4 percent).
Brown's play led to a recent declaration from the former Finals MVP.
Best 2 way player in the game
— Jaylen Brown (@FCHWPO) December 31, 2025
Draymond Green believes Jaylen Brown should aim higher
During a recent episode of "The Draymond Green Show," the Golden State Warriors' star shared his perspective on that post from Brown.
"I will say, when he said, 'I'm the best two-way player in the world,' I get what he was saying, but he's playing so great offensively that I don't even know if he needs to talk about the best two-way player in the world," said Green. "He should just be talking about who's the best player in the NBA right now. That's the type of basketball Jaylen Brown has been playing. I'm not sure how he hasn't moved into [the] top 3 of MVP voting."
Perhaps that's coming.
Brown has propelled Boston as high as second in the Eastern Conference. Even after Wednesday's 114-110 loss to the Denver Nuggets, the Celtics are in third in the standings.
Much like his team, the former All-NBA Second Team selection is defying expectations. You rarely see an individual ascend into an MVP candidate in his tenth year in the league.
However, the 29-year-old wing making that leap speaks more to what he was willing to sacrifice and no longer has to, than to the growth that he has achieved this season.
That includes Brown ranking third in drives per game across the Association, and making the most shots from the mid-range per contest. That's a difficult balance to maintain, yet he is continuing to do so.
The downhill aspect of that approach is also helping him develop as a playmaker. The Marietta, Georgia, native is leveraging the defensive attention that draws to create quality shots for his teammates.
Brown has demonstrated the ability to elevate those around him and act as a driving force. Despite Jayson Tatum's absence and the cost-cutting roster makeover induced by a punitive collective bargaining agreement, Boston has solidified itself as capable of contending in the wide-open Eastern Conference. It speaks to Green's point: Brown belongs on the short list of MVP contenders.