New Jaylen Brown statement makes latest feat even more otherworldly

Poise and grit defined the Celtics' double-overtime win at Barclays Center on Friday night. Jaylen Brown's performance exemplified that. The now five-time All-Star registered a triple-double. He finished with 27 points, 12 assists, and 10 rebounds.

Repeatedly, the Nets sent two defenders at him, forcing the ball out of his hands. Brown obliged, setting the table for his teammates. He quickly got rid of the rock, making the right read. When he wasn't doing that, his ability to attack downhill was drawing the attention of multiple defenders. That either led directly to a quality opportunity for a teammate or a hockey assist for the former Finals MVP.

"Poise," responded Joe Mazzulla when asked about Brown's performance after Boston grinded out a 130-126 victory, via CLNS Media. "I thought Jaylen played with a sense of poise, especially in the second half. Seeing a bunch of different coverages. Sometimes, he saw a switch. Sometimes, they doubled him. And the discipline and the poise to make the right play, whether it's for yourself or for your teammate, but we were able to use him sometimes throughout the game as a decoy, drag a double, and play some two-on-ones. So, to be able to do that takes a ton of poise, takes a ton of discipline, and he was able to do that tonight."

The MVP candidate was the decoy that allowed Hugo Gonzalez to get an open look from the corner on his game-tying three to beat the buzzer and force double-overtime.

What makes Jaylen Brown's triple-double even more impressive

The triple-double produced by the tenth-year wing is the fifth of his career. His 12 assists are the most he has dished out in a regular-season game and matched the career-high he established in the Celtics' Game 5 win over the Knicks in the 2025 playoffs.

When asked about what he saw from a Brooklyn defense that threw aggressive coverages at him to force the ball out of his hands, Brown conveyed, via CLNS Media. "Unique coverages. They blitzed a lot off [of] screen-and-rolls. They doubled any time I had a favorable matchup, and then they switched their five on the big. We just came out and played basketball, [and] was able to find a way. It wasn't the prettiest game, but I'll take the win more than anything."

He also revealed a challenge that made his performance in Friday night's win that much more impressive.

"I've been dealing with some hamstring tightness, so I didn't have my burst today," shared Brown. "They were switching the five on to me, with [Nic] Claxton. And he's, in my opinion, way too far out. I should be able to blow by him and do what I do, but I just didn't have that acceleration tonight. And sometimes that can mess with your head a little bit, but find other ways to be effective. Trusting my teammates, rebounded the ball, and things like that, and it led to a win."

After playing 46 minutes while dealing with hamstring tightness, Brown's status for Saturday's game against the Bulls bears monitoring.