For much of this season, it seemed like Jaylen Brown was destined for a spot on the first-team All-NBA. He was in MVP talks, putting up career highs across the board, and leading the Celtics to the 2-seed in the Eastern Conference despite what was supposed to be a ‘gap year’ for the team with the departures of Jrue Holiday, Al Horford, Kristaps Porzingis, and Luke Kornet, plus the injury to Jayson Tatum.
JB overcame all of that, and with the season winding down, he was locked into a six-man race for five spots. The first three were never in too much doubt as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic, and Victor Wembanyama had levitated above the competition.
The last two spots were up for grabs down the stretch, but Jaylen won the war of attrition, playing in 71 games while Luka Doncic and Cade Cunningham both fell short of the mark due to injuries. Thanks to the NBA’s 65-game eligibility rule, those two should have been ineligible for awards and honors, essentially locking up a First-Team spot for Brown.
The league tipped the scales for Cade and Luka
Then, despite making a big deal about these new rules to increase player participation, the league decided to do an about-face with no precedent or rational basis. Cade and Luka both failed to hit 65 games, and the circumstances weren’t particularly “extraordinary”. They were injured. Injuries happened.
Doncic missed games for the birth of his child. That happens. He also missed a game because he was suspended. That happens. Cunningham had a collapsed lung. It’s unfortunate, but it happens.
It’s not like these guys played in 81 of the 82 games and just had bad luck missing a single game. The league built in a buffer that allows players to miss 17 games without penalty. These players couldn’t reach that bar, and yet, they appealed the decision and won, making First-Team over Brown for reasons that still remain unclear.
Brown’s gripes don’t seem that crazy
I’m not a conspiracy theory guy, by any means, and most of the time, I think Jaylen’s talk about everyone being out to get him is a little off base. And sure enough, as soon as it was announced that Brown made Second-Team, he responded:
“I’m not surprised. I’m aware of certain things…who I am, how I use my platform. I’m not the most liked player in the media, at times. At times I’m not the most liked by the fans … some of the things I say and do are a little controversial…”
The message is still probably a little over the top. He finished sixth in voting, leading the Second-Team, which is still a great honor. But in this case, he may have a point. The league twisted its rules, for no real reason, just because they wanted Luka and Cade to get recognized, and it came at the expense of Brown.
Those are just facts. Would they have done the same for JB? I’m skeptical. So, while I don’t think this was some grand conspiracy to snub Brown, I think his frustrations hold some merit, because the NBA clearly put its thumb on the scale to reward some of the biggest stars.
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