The Boston Celtics currently hold a 5-2 record in the month of March. They lost two in a row at the hands of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Denver Nuggets but have since rebounded and beaten the Phoenix Suns, Portland Trail Blazers, and Utah Jazz.
For every other team that is in the playoff/play-in picture, these games late in the season really matter as they jockey for position in the standings. The Celtics, on the other hand, can afford a slipup like the one they had against the Cavs and Nuggets because, despite that, they are still 9.5 games up on the second place Milwaukee Bucks.
So while wins and losses don’t cause as much stress, it’s nice to look at how the team is playing or individual players' performances. And one player who has really stood out is Jaylen Brown. Being one of the more polarizing players in the entire NBA, Brown is often hit with a lot of criticism regarding his game.
He doesn’t get the credit he deserves, and right now, he really deserves it.
Over the last 15 games, Jaylen Brown has a 66.7 FG% on 8.2 half-court drives per game (4.3 FGA/g)—highest efficiency in the NBA!!
— NBA University (@NBA_University) March 10, 2024
He’s also only turned the ball over on 3.1% of those drives. He’s been an efficiency bomb attacking off the dribble in the half court since Feb 1. pic.twitter.com/h9GjEd88EW
Jaylen Brown coming alive for Boston Celtics post-All-Star break
In the six games he has played in March, Brown is averaging 28.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 4.0 assists with efficient shooting percentages in every game. These numbers aren’t otherworldly, but they are an improvement from his season averages of 22.9 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 3.7 assists.
As we know, it’s also not easy to put up insane numbers on this Celtics team with so much surrounding talent, as there is just one ball, and everyone seems to be fine with sacrificing individual stats.
The best part of Brown’s recent performances is how he has been getting his points. In the 115-109 loss to the Denver Nuggets, the Celtics shot just 28.9% from deep, and when those shots aren’t falling, the team can really struggle. Brown, however, was getting in the paint whenever he wanted, and it didn’t matter who was guarding him, and this led to a 41 point game on 16-29 shooting.
This was a game where not only were the threes not falling, but Jayson Tatum was very quiet as he had just 15 points on 13 shots. Regardless of whether this was Tatum taking a backseat and letting Brown be the number one guy or just simply a bad night, it was amazing to see Brown takeover. This has to fill the Celtics with confidence that when these inevitable bad nights come for one Celtics star, another is always there to step up.
Another game this month worth noting for Brown was against the Golden State Warriors. It’s important because the way he was hurting the Warriors was the complete opposite of what he did against the Nuggets, which shows his versatility. The Warriors admitted that their game plan was to let Brown shoot, and well, it didn’t work out too well for them. The Celtics put up 44 first quarter points, Brown hit a total of five threes, and the game was just never close.
Brown has been turning the ball over less, getting to the paint with ease, and creating for others, all while playing incredible defense. Since entering the league, Brown has always gotten better every season, but now it seems he’s taken a leap during, and near the end of, the Celtics most important season since he’s been on the team.