Wednesday night, the NBA on NBC studio crew discussed Jayson Tatum's recent, hour-long, extensive on-court workout. That progress report on his recovery came after the Boston Celtics held a shootaround leading up to Monday's matchup against the Detroit Pistons.
As their conversation neared its conclusion, Chris Bosh took a moment to spotlight what Jaylen Brown is doing this season.
"Can we give Jaylen Brown some credit! He should be [the] MVP. I think he's the frontrunner, in my opinion. He's playing amazing basketball," Bosh said to Carmelo Anthony, Vince Carter, and Ahmed Fareed. "Nobody slotted Boston to be 2nd and Jaylen to be playing the way he is."
Jaylen Brown's MVP case
Bosh's praise came just two days after the former NBA Finals MVP earned rave reviews from the Detroit Pistons head coach, J.B. Bickerstaff.
"He's a hell of a basketball player," said Bickerstaff before his team beat Boston in a battle between the top two teams in the East. "A guy you talk about having to do certain things and having to carry the load of scoring the way that he has, his usage rate, like, all eyes on him defensively, and he's still figuring out a way to impact winning. And I think he's playing some of the best basketball that I've seen him play.
"But we always, as coaches, find impactful, is how it impacts winning. And that's what he's done, is [he's] shoulder that burden, but hasn't made it just about himself. He's figured out a way to help this team continue to get better and win games."
Brown has led the Celtics to a 27-16 record, the second-best mark in the Eastern Conference standings. Even without Jayson Tatum, they have established themselves as a legitimate contender in the East.
At the heart of that is a four-time All-Star who is proving what he always believed: that he is a bona fide top option, one who could also drive team success.
Brown is generating 29.8 points per game while shooting 48.8 percent from the field. He's also averaging 6.7 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 1.0 steals.
The former All-NBA Second Team selection is producing the third-most drives per contest. He's also in the top four in shots made from the mid-range, per NBA.com. If allowed to go one-on-one, those downhill attacks often lead to him putting points on the board. They also draw extra attention from the defense. Brown's using those opportunities to create quality scoring chances for his teammates.
His ability to elevate his play and that of those around him, leading the Celtics to success that's defying what many pundits anticipated, is why he is one of the names most frequently mentioned when discussing this season's MVP candidates.