It's going to be a very interesting season for the Boston Celtics. In the midst of this strange situation wherein Jayson Tatum is likely going to be out for the entire year, it wouldn't be the craziest stretch of the imagination to think Jaylen Brown could end up leading the league in scoring.
I'm aware that's a big assertion to make, but I'm not just pulling that out of thin air. Since Tatum was drafted and this duo was created, Brown has averaged 27 points per game in contests where Jayson was sitting out. I believe it's perfectly within the realm of possibility to assume that number could jump up to 30 or higher in the coming season.
Jaylen Brown is a champion and a Finals MVP for a reason. Boston is of course going to be severely undermanned this year without number 0 and with the departures of Al Horford, Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday. But if one man's going to pick up the slack, Jaylen is the obvious leading candidate.
Nearly everyone is counting the Celtics out for 2025-26. But while I think the general public consensus of their roster is too low to begin with, I also see a lot of fans discounting Brown's talent.
The ceiling is limitless for Brown this season
In Boston's preseason-opening win over the Memphis Grizzlies, Jaylen scored 21 points in just 20 minutes. That's an early sign that he's going to be more than comfortable taking over offensively when he needs to this season.
It wasn't just the efficient night for Brown either, it was the manner in which he scored those 21 quick points. Jaylen was scoring from all three levels and showing he's more than ready to incur higher usage if that's what his team needs from him on a consistent basis.
No one should be doubting Brown's will to win or toughness after he played through a partially torn meniscus during last year's playoff run. He's the unquestioned leader of this team with Tatum on the sidelines, and his leadership is going to be paramount for the Celtics as they navigate figuring out this new roster.
I think everyone knows this is Jaylen Brown's team for the time being, and I'm not at all convinced that the Celtics are going to be content with tanking mid-way through the season if things aren't looking great. Brown is too competitive, and this organization has too much pride to settle. If anything, this stretch could unleash a version of him we’ve never seen before, and that could absolutely look like him becoming a scoring champion.