Jaylen Brown is getting dose of tough new reality right now

Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown came to the podium after Wednesday’s loss to the Denver Nuggets and admitted that the Nuggets’ physicality got to his head, along with the lack of whistles he received.

On Friday, he was met by an aggressive Toronto Raptors defense and an opportunity to face a very similar challenge to the one from two days prior.

The Raptors, as they have in previous matchups with Boston this season, sent tremendous pressure at the Celtics’ ballhandlers, especially Brown, anytime they had a chance. Not only that, but they blitzed pick-and-rolls and made it difficult for players to get downhill at times.

In simpler terms, Toronto did whatever they could to make the game as uncomfortable as possible for the Celtics. They did their best impression of the January 7, 2026, Nuggets.

Brown’s night wasn’t perfect. He still turned the ball over four times and wasn’t as efficient as he usually is scoring the ball, but he never let himself get rattled. He just found other ways to affect the game and maintained his poise.

"He had eight [rebounds] and seven [assists], so I thought he made great reads,” Joe Mazzulla praised after Boston’s 125-117 win. “I thought tonight, he got some easy layups in transition, he got 13 free throws...At the end of the day, you've just got to continue to make the right read, which he takes pride in, and he does it consistently."

The former Finals MVP simply took what Toronto’s defense gave him. Take a look at this assist, for example. There’s less than five seconds remaining on the shot clock. Brown drives, sees three different Raptors converge on him, realizes there’s enough time to make a play, and finds a wide-open Payton Pritchard for a buzzer-beating three.

"It's an adjustment. Cause, even though I've been in the league for 10 years, I think people forget that I'm adjusting on the fly as well,” Brown explained. “Obviously, having more responsibility has forced me to step up and make more plays...but I still have room for growth...Give myself grace. I'm still learning, but gotta stay the course. It's a long season. We're not even halfway through."

Jaylen Brown is adjusting to the adjustments opposing teams make on a nightly basis

As Mazzulla mentioned, JB’s ability to draw fouls played a key role in his 25-point performance. The thing that separates good from great players in the NBA is the ability to get to the free-throw line when shots aren’t falling like they normally would.

The free-throw leap has been as real as real gets for Brown thus far. He’s averaging over two more attempts per game from the charity stripe than he did last season. There’s no concrete equation for drawing more fouls, but controlled drives to the basket go a long way in that category.

Brown’s film from the previous loss included plenty of the opposite.

Instead of getting thrown off, he just gave the Celtics what they needed to get across the finish line with a win. Sometimes, that’s all you can ask of your superstar. It’s a team game, after all.

To their credit, Brown’s teammates took care of business and made the Raptors pay for selling out on ball pressure. Payton Pritchard had 27 points, Sam Hauser 19, Derrick White 18, and Anfernee Simons 15.

They rewarded JB’s sharp decisions time and time again.

“I just gotta be better at reading the game and trust my teammates, empower my teammates, and just play the game the right way, and everything will work itself out,” Brown added.