Now in his tenth NBA season, Jaylen Brown has become one of the best players in the NBA. He already has a Finals MVP in his pocket, and he’s trending toward a first-team All-NBA appearance this season, slowly building what may well end up as a Hall of Fame career when it’s all said and done.
So, it’s easy to forget that Brown’s career didn’t exactly get off to the rosiest start. But he eloquently brought that up recently on a Twitch stream when he was asked about one of his young teammates, Jordan Walsh.
Walsh is in his third season with the team, and while he has taken a huge leap this season, he’s still in and out of the rotation, seeing his minutes yanked around, and frequently recording DNPs, especially with the team at full strength.
JB has encouraging message for Jordan Walsh
But Jaylen had a great perspective, saying that Walsh just needs to keep focusing on his development and keeping his mind right. Jaylen pointed out that Jordan is in a tough spot with such a deep, talented roster. The competition for minutes, especially at the wing position, is extremely stiff.
JB also added that your first few years in the league don’t have to define who you are, and this is when he made the connection to his own journey. Jaylen reminisced about how, even though he was the third overall pick, he barely played as a rookie. Then, after a nice second season, he was bumped back to the bench in year three with Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward returning from injuries.
It was a tumultuous beginning to his tenure in Boston, but just look at how things have played out. Nobody is saying Walsh is going to be the next Jaylen Brown, but there is still plenty of room for growth.Â
Arrow still pointing up for Walsh
Despite being in his third season in the league, he’s still just 21 years old, the second youngest player on the team (Only rookie Hugo Gonzalez is younger), including the two-way players, and he has already made great progress.
He has been a huge part of the team this season, starting 20 games, at times looking like the best defender on the team, and knocking down over 40% of his three-pointers this season. He has always been a great athlete, and it seems like he is refining his game and gaining confidence as he grows into a bigger role.
The arrow is still pointing up, and theoretically, he could still be several years away from entering his prime. We have no idea what he’ll look like as a finished product, but he already looks like a solid NBA role player. If he follows Jaylen’s advice and keeps focusing on growth and development, he’s in a great spot to be an important part of this team for a long time.