It took just two games to kill a ridiculous anti-Jaylen Brown narrative

When it has come to putting Jaylen Brown’s name in conversations for things like MVP and first-team All-NBA, his detractors have pointed to his on/off numbers. A tired narrative has come to be that the Celtics are better with Brown on the bench. In reality, this was a reflection of how well the bench has played, and how much of an advantage they’ve had over other teams’ backups more than anything.

JB has carried a ridiculous workload all season long, and his minutes have been built around opponents’ best players. Jaylen has faced them all, and he has won his minutes. Then, when the crew of Boston dirt dogs comes in for a few minutes each half while Jaylen sits, they smother their reserves with energy.

But now that Jayson Tatum has returned, and the Celtics have been able to balance their rotations, it is abundantly clear how ridiculous the discourse around Brown had become. 

With JT in the starting lineup with JB, and the two staggering their stints with the bench, the Cs have crushed the Mavericks and Cavaliers, and Jaylen has been +20 and +17, both second-best on the team.

Brown and the bench unit lit up the Cavs

We got a great taste on Sunday when the Cs got off to a slow start in Cleveland in both halves. Each time, Brown stayed in with many of the bench units and helped right the ship and get the team on track. He dominated those minutes, and it gave the team a huge boost.

Meanwhile, Tatum was -3 in his 27 minutes. Is that a knock on JT? Of course not! It just shows that it’s a 48-minute game, and you do your best to win as many of those minutes as possible. Tatum faced the Cavs’ starters, rested, and came back in later in the half when most of the starters were back in for Cleveland.

Because JB was able to get some rest early on while Tatum operated as the number one option, does that mean one was better or worse, or that the team was better with one on and off the floor? N-O, NO! The Celtics have been a great team all season long, and Brown has unquestionably been the head of the snake.

Now that Tatum is back, they can go from a great team to a juggernaut, on par with the best teams in the league, and a big reason why is that they have the talent at the top, plus the depth to compete in every single minute. 

However, Joe Mazzulla chooses to gain advantages with his lineups and rotations; he’s going to put the team in the best position to win games. Using this stat to tear down Brown was always ridiculous, and it’s good to see that quickly coming to light.