Boston Celtics fans have been treated to some tremendous basketball from Jaylen Brown this season. The former NBA Finals MVP has risen to the occasion through Boston’s first 36 games with Jayson Tatum sidelined as he recovers from a torn Achilles.
Brown’s 29.7 points per game is a career high, as is his 4.9 assists per game and his efficient 50.1% from the field. The production the Celtics have gotten from Brown this year is among the best in franchise history. He’s helped to propel them to third in the Eastern Conference with a 23-13 record, thus far.
After nearly 40% of the season, the 28-year-old is finally getting appropriate recognition on a national scale.
JB placed third in the latest MVP ladder from NBA.com, jumping up four spots from his previous ranking. He now only trails Oklahoma City Thunder star and reigning MVP, Shai Gilgeous Alexander, and Denver Nuggets big man and three-time MVP, Nikola Jokic, in the race.
Brown is finally getting the praise he deserves on a national scale
The Celtics community has been shouting that Brown needs to be talked about amongst the league’s best for a while now. His aforementioned production, combined with Boston’s (externally, at least) unexpected success, makes him an undeniable candidate for the MVP award this season.
Brown’s 50-point outing against the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday was enough to get people on the outside talking, I guess. The league leapfrogged JB over Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic, New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, and San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyma to move him into the top three.
Honestly, there was no case for any of these guys to be above him for the past several weeks. Brunson already escaped with the December Eastern Conference Player of the Month Award that many believed should’ve gone to Brown, including the Celtics star himself.
Being in the “MVP conversation” is more important than ever in this day and age. Ever since the latest edition of the league’s collective bargaining agreement went into place in 2023, players who do not appear in 65 games now lose award eligibility.
It’s still early in the season, and there are plenty of things that could happen, but Brown is among the most consistent in this race. He’s missed just two games to this point, while others, like Doncic or Jokic, have begun to pile up absences.
Jokic, in particular, is a name to watch. He’s missed the previous five games for Denver after hyperextending his knee late last month. Initial reports suggest that he’s expected to remain sidelined for the majority of January. By then, he will have left little room for missed time in the final months of the season.
Just by being durable, Brown could give himself a real shot to be the first Celtics player to win the MVP, since Larry Bird did it in 1986 (and also 84 and 85).