The discourse around Jaylen Brown and the season he’s having has reached a boiling point. He gained momentum with his great play and leadership, with members of the national media even inserting him into the MVP conversation. But that has created another type of pushback, with fans and media members tearing down his candidacy.
The anti-JB argument leans heavily on advanced stats, mainly his efficiency and on/off numbers. That has somehow turned into a debate about whether the Celtics are a better team without Brown on the floor, which is absurd.
Boston fans who have been paying attention knew how ridiculous this narrative was, but the numbers were the numbers, and a lot of people were running with that. So, it was nice to hear Zach Lowe, on his most recent podcast episode, defending Jaylen and perfectly explaining why those metrics shouldn’t be interpreted as knocks on him.
On/Off numbers lack critical context
First off, in terms of the on/off numbers, Brown plays the heaviest minutes load on the team. He’s starting and closing every game, and his minutes are mostly lined up with the best competition in the NBA. If it’s a close game against a good team, chances are that Brown is going to be on the floor.
The team still has a great net rating during his minutes, at +6.3. The fact that the rating is higher when he’s off the floor is due to those minutes coming in short spurts against backups. It’s a testament to the organization and coaching staff that they’ve built an incredibly deep roster with a bench full of dogs that goes in and beats up on other teams’ second units.
Efficiency stats don't match the eye test
As for the efficiency stats, sure, they don’t stack up favorably with the other elite players in the league, but as Lowe and his guest Kirk Goldsberry pointed out, the stats simply don’t line up with the eye test. The way Brown has changed his game this season and taken on this role without sacrificing his efficiency is incredible.
He has had to create so much offense for the team, and there have been plenty of nights where he’s the only guy who has it and has had to single-handedly will his team to victory. He has produced at a high volume, and as a result, sometimes he’s going to take some tough shots.
He has done what the team has needed him to do, and he has done it incredibly effectively to the tune of 28.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game this season as the Celtics improbably sit in second place in the Eastern Conference at 47-23.
That should be praised and rewarded, and it was good to hear Lowe and Goldsberry doing so in the national media, giving JB the hype he deserves as a strong candidate for first-team All-NBA honors this season.