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After a month of annoying commerce rumors and hasty hypothesis, Kevin Durant and the Nets determined to “transfer ahead with their partnership.” For Celtics followers, we are able to lastly take a break from pontificating on the deserves of buying and selling a package deal centered round Jaylen Brown to amass the 34-year-old Durant.
After watching Jaylen blossom into an All-Star and the Celtics play dominant basketball from February on, do we actually wish to break this group up? Certain, a KD commerce might be essentially the most definitive path to Banner 18, however there’s an opportunity it could damage the chemistry and tradition this group has constructed over the previous couple of years that culminated in a Finals look final season.
Alas, this text isn’t about Durant. It is going to focus solely on the six-season development of Jaylen Brown – how he went from a uncooked athlete to an uber-skilled two-way power. His growth from his 12 months at Cal to his stellar 2021-2022 season is nothing wanting outstanding, and I hope to chart this growth over a collection of 25 clips.
Rookie 12 months: “Boo me as soon as, disgrace on you”
6.6 factors, 2.8 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 45.4 FG%, 34.1 3FG%, 17.2 min, 78 GP, 20 GS
Draft Evening 2016. The Isaiah Thomas-led Celtics gained 48 video games with Jae Crowder as their second greatest participant and Jared Sullinger as their beginning heart. They extracted essentially the most out of that scrappy unit, however within the playoffs, have been overmatched by the Hawks within the first spherical.
That they had the position gamers, the tradition, the coach, however have been lacking the star, and Jimmy Butler ostensibly may have stuffed that position. All season lengthy, the Boston media clamored over Danny Ainge’s “treasure trove” of property. However Dealer Danny determined towards buying and selling for Butler, and the Bulls traded him to Minnesota for the (on the time) Mickey Mouse package deal of Zach Lavine, Kris Dunn, and a choose swap that become Lauri Markkanen.
On the TD Backyard draft social gathering, followers booed Wyc Grousbeck when he took the stage to take questions in regards to the #3 choose. They weren’t essentially booing Jaylen Brown, however slightly the frustration/frustration of not making a splashy commerce after a full season of rumors.
Jaylen was athletic past perception and possessed a uncommon mind for an 18-year-old. However after a one-and-done season at Cal, he was labeled a non-shooter with poor really feel for the sport and restricted ability. Thought-about a long-term venture, he joined a Celtics group that didn’t want one other non-shooting defensive-oriented participant.
The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie gave the Celtics a D+ for his or her draft. NBA insider Chad Ford gave them a C. Paul Flannery wrote about their awkward status quo. Jaylen was an intriguing prospect, however at third, he was thought of a attain when Jamal Murray, Kris Dunn, Buddy Hield, and (lol) Dragan Bender have been all accessible.
Whereas most top-3 picks start their careers as a beacon of hope on a dropping group, Jaylen joined a playoff group the place minutes weren’t assured. He was spectacular in Summer season League, however greater than the rest, his off-court actions obtained the lion share of consideration, between his chess mastery, graduate-level programs at Berkeley, not hiring an agent, and self-learning new languages and devices.
He rapidly gained over followers and proved he wasn’t as unhealthy a shooter as the school numbers prompt. Right here, within the group’s fifth recreation, he drains a contested three late within the shot clock over Tristian Thompson:
This was the sport Jaylen gained over some preliminary doubters. He performed 35 minutes towards the defending champion Cavs and scored 19 factors. Boston misplaced by six, however Jaylen completed +15, and was slowly profitable Brad Stevens’ belief.
However he was nonetheless a rookie, and there have been some early rising pains. In opposition to the Bulls of their second recreation, Jaylen made a pricey turnover late within the recreation after leaving his ft and never figuring out whether or not he’d cross or shoot:
The primary Shaqtin’ second of his younger profession. Down by two with beneath a minute to play, this turnover primarily sealed it for Chicago, however extra importantly, he was entrusted with late-game minutes in simply his second profession recreation over guys like Gerald Inexperienced, Amir Johnson, and Terry Rozier.
In considered one of his first nice dunks, he emasculated Nikola Vucevic into posterized oblivion:
Kudos to the Orlando bench for maintaining a poker face.
Within the weeks earlier than All-Star break, Avery Bradley obtained injured for ten video games, Jaylen stuffed in because the starter, and the Celtics gained 9 out of ten. His numbers (24 minutes, 8.8 factors, 39.7% FG) weren’t significantly spectacular, however he guarded faster guys like JJ Reddick with as a lot aplomb as he did bulkier our bodies like Blake Griffin, embodying the flexibility that will quickly take over the league.
The ultimate rookie clip is from Sport 1 of the Japanese Convention Finals towards the Cavs. Watch how he defends LeBron James:
Did you discover how Boston was getting completely pummeled? The sport was out of attain, however Jaylen nonetheless competed his tail off. LeBron had his manner your complete recreation, embarrassing Kelly Olynyk and Al Horford in 1-on-1 conditions, overpowering Jae Crowder, and making Isaiah Thomas appear to be a schoolboy. Jaylen wasn’t having any of that, and regardless of getting throttled within the collection, the Celtics have been in good fingers with the primary main present of the Brooklyn choose haul.
Sophomore 12 months: “I’m speculated to be the franchise participant, however we’re in right here speaking about Tatum?”
14.5 factors, 4.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 46.5 FG%, 39.5 3FG%, 30.7 MP, 70 GP, 70 GS
The next season, Jaylen noticed his factors double from 6.6 to 14.5, his minutes almost double from 17.2 to 30.7, and his three-point proportion soar from 34.1% to 39.5%. An offseason of wheeling-and-dealing left him as considered one of 4 returning Celtics. Out went Isaiah, Crowder, and Olynyk. In got here Kyrie Irving, Jayson Tatum, and Marcus Morris.
He performed with extra command and management. As a rookie, he was all the time enjoying at 100 miles per hour, however developed a endurance that the scouts by no means may have projected throughout his one faculty season. He mastered his catch-and-shoot position, simply overcoming his “non-shooter” label.
On this November recreation in Atlanta, Dewayne Dedmon doesn’t fully respect Jaylen’s vary, and he calmly sinks the jumper:
Coach Mike Budenholzer is infamous for letting non-shooters shoot, and Brown proved he now not belongs in that class. He acknowledged the area he was getting and drills the shot in his face.
On this subsequent clip throughout a house recreation towards Golden State, Jaylen strips Steph Curry, recovers the free ball, and finishes with a slam:
A man like Jaylen can defend guards in addition to he defends wings. He left his ft on protection, however not sufficient that Steph may draw a capturing foul. Jaylen takes benefit of his open stance, knocks the ball away, beats Zaza Pachulia to the free ball, and the gang erupts after his dunk. Jaylen was large on this recreation, scoring 22, because the Celtics gained their 14th straight recreation towards the supervillain Warriors.
On this play, he picks up a free ball and goes coast to coast for the end:
He was affected person the entire time. The ground was poorly balanced with three guys on the left facet. He had a foul angle, and rookie Jaylen would most likely attempt to outrun and out-jump everybody. As an alternative, he turned on the breaks, took two deliberate strides, and gave Danny Inexperienced slightly nudge to clear his technique to the rim.
Within the playoffs towards Philly, Brown confirmed his endurance as soon as once more, however this time on an elbow jumper:
He may have taken the contested three on Dario Saric, however up-faked and simply discovered a driving lake. When he noticed the paint was congested, and the smaller JJ Reddick picked him up, he calmly pulled it again and drilled the elbow fadeaway.
Draft aficionados doubted Jaylen may develop this high-level really feel for the sport. He had on-court poise that was uncommon for a 20-year previous. With him and Tatum on the wing, Kyrie within the backcourt, Horford within the paint, Gordon Hayward wholesome, and Marcus Good on a brand new extension, the 2018-19 Celtics have been within the driver’s seat for the championship (…so we thought).
3rd 12 months: “Scapegoat season”
13.0 factors, 4.2 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 46.5 FG%, 34.4 3FG%, 25.9 MP, 74 GP, 25 GS
I’m positive many people wish to extinguish the 2018-19 season from our reminiscence. The Celtics didn’t crack 50 wins and obtained gents swept by the Bucks within the second spherical. The 12 months was marred by inside dysfunction, and early within the season, many blamed Jaylen Brown for the dearth of offensive cohesion.
Of their eighth recreation towards Indiana, he will get tied up by Tyreke Evans amidst a hero-ball drive:
He may have kicked it to Hayward when Victor Oladipo sagged off, and he had Morris open within the nook. Not even midway by way of the second quarter, this was already Jaylen’s 10th shot of the sport. Certain, blue-chip wings deserve a inexperienced mild, however on a group just like the 2018-19 Celtics, the place photographs are foreign money and no one obtained the minutes they wished, it’s higher to unfold the ball round early and restrict these kind of “I obtained this” photographs.
A couple of performs later, he doesn’t get the ball twice when he’s open:
Aron Baynes missed him on the baseline minimize, then swung it to Morris, who opted to take the two-dribble pull-up as a substitute of passing it to Jaylen for the open three. Possibly Morris didn’t wish to give him the ball after Jaylen obtained tied up just a few possessions earlier. Or possibly he thought to shoot at any time when alternatives offered themselves, not figuring out when the following probability would come.
Easy performs like this harm a group’s chemistry. In Jaylen’s thoughts, he’s coming off an incredible second season and is raring to make the all-star leap. However on that group, they wanted him to be a job participant.
Brown shot poorly over the primary 20 video games, connecting on solely 25 p.c of his three-point makes an attempt. The Celtics had a 100.4 offensive score when he was on the court docket, which might be the worst within the league by leaps and bounds.
The group began 10-10, Jaylen obtained a heavy dose of criticism and ultimately obtained demoted to the bench. ESPN’s Jackie MacMullan detailed the turmoil in December:
“Opposing groups have privately used phrases comparable to “disjointed” and “indifferent” to explain him. When the season’s first Actual Plus-Minus rankings have been launched, Brown ranked 417th out of 430 gamers. The query “What’s fallacious with Jaylen Brown?” grew to become a leaguewide referendum.”
Jaylen responded to the criticism:
“It’s most likely been the toughest factor I’ve needed to take care of thus far in my profession,” Brown says. “Simply coming from a place the place you had a lot accountability, and now that accountability is lessened. Expectations have been raised, however your accountability goes down, so it’s exhausting to achieve these expectations if you aren’t being requested to do as a lot.”
After the sluggish begin, he performed properly regardless of the inner strife. He embraced his bench position and ultimately earned again the beginning spot because the playoffs approached. However this was a dysfunctional group that wasn’t optimum for his growth.
On this play – maybe a metaphor for the season – he stays in management amidst the chaos on this transition end towards Dallas:
He obtained higher surveying the ground, utilizing his physique to defend defenders, and ending at awkward angles. Within the clip, the Celtics had all however given up, down 13 late within the fourth. No person is working with Jaylen, and he’s pressured to complete over three guys.
On a group suffering from veterans, he confirmed poise off the ground, too. The 2018-19 Celtics weren’t shy about publicly airing their grievances with the group, and Jaylen Brown wasn’t shy about rejecting that modus operandi. After a head-scratching loss to Orlando, he informed ESPN’s Tim Bontemps:
“We’ve simply obtained to have one another’s backs on the finish of the day,” Brown stated after the loss. “We will’t make feedback, we are able to’t level fingers, we simply need to proceed to empower one another and have one another’s backs. If we don’t, if we begin pointing fingers, everyone’s going to enter their very own little shells.”
Third-year Jaylen couldn’t exhibit his full offensive arsenal, however right here towards Milwaukee, he emphatically dunked on Giannis:
He’s transferring with extra deliberation however ending with simply as a lot energy. Whereas his teammates, the followers, and even the teaching employees weren’t fully glad along with his play this season, Danny Ainge was impressed by how he tailored to a few starkly totally different groups over three seasons.
4th 12 months: “securing the bag and increasing his bag”
20.3 factors, 6.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 48.1 FG%, 38.2 3FG%, 33.9 MP, 57 GP, 57 GS
Does it really matter as a redemption season if he by no means actually wanted to be redeemed? A couple of days earlier than Opening Evening, Jaylen signed a four-year, $115 million extension — a contract that many have been shocked obtained finished, calling it an overpay.
It solely took just a few weeks to comprehend that this was a discount contract. His numbers improved throughout the board and he expanded his offensive repertoire, getting extra alternative to play with the ball in his fingers and run pick-and-rolls.
Try this slippery transfer towards the Spurs:
He places a nasty collection of crossovers on Bryn Forbes, then blows by LaMarcus Aldridge with a slick hesitation transfer. Jaylen was projected to be extra of a straight-line participant coming into the league, however his recreation expanded to incorporate extra shake.
After solely capturing 34 p.c from deep the earlier 12 months, some puzzled whether or not his 39 p.c 2017-2018 was an outlier. Properly, his percentages promptly went again up, and he grew to become comfy launching deep balls:
He steps into this lengthy three with no hesitation. As he developed his on-ball strikes, he by no means misplaced his 3-and-D instincts.
Closing out his 2019-2020 12 months, he embarrasses Matisse Thybulle with a pull-back hesitation transfer:
“So deep in his bag, just like the fries are on the backside.”
When the Celtics drafted Brown, they envisioned him as a defensive ace who performed downhill on offense and hopefully developed a three-point jumper. He triumphantly exceeded these expectations and set the stage for an All-Star future.
Jaylen continued his sturdy play within the bubble, and within the convention finals towards Miami, he averaged 23 factors whereas capturing 50 p.c on 5 3’s per recreation. Contemplating their success with a comparatively skinny group, the Celtics have been poised to make a number of championship runs over the following few years with Tatum and Brown as their constructing blocks.
5th 12 months: “Child, I’m a star”
24.7 factors, 6.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 48.4 FG%, 39.7 3FG%, 34.5 MP, 58 GP, 58 GS
Regardless of COVID hitting the group exhausting, 2020-2021 was undoubtedly a disappointment for the Celtics. However as soon as once more, Jaylen improved throughout the board, and this time, he earned an All-Star choice.
He tightened up his deal with, his footwork was extra polished, he obtained extra artistic in isolation, and improved his drive-and-kick recreation. You would now not give him any area to launch a three-pointer, or he’d drill one between your eyes, which occurred right here with Jonas Valanciunas:
The protection was basically sound, however Jaylen disrespectfully took his time setting his ft and squaring his hips, then calmly hit the three. He hit six first-half 3’s towards the Grizzlies and the non-shooting label now appeared laughable.
On this subsequent play, Jaylen has restricted area understanding of the nook with Anthony Edwards defending him, one of many few gamers who can match him athletically. He does a behind the again spin transfer, takes an additional dribble to regain steadiness, then sinks the 16-foot fadeaway:
A couple of years again, he’d expend a substantial amount of effort to finish this tough transfer in tight area. Now, he’s making it look simple. Like the primary clip, the defender performed him completely, however his offense moved into an elite territory that no single defender can cease.
Over right here, he unleashes a transfer that I don’t consider some other NBA participant makes use of:
Dribbling by way of the legs is often for safeguarding the ball from the defender, however no one does a through-the-legs crossover to get by his man. It really works when the defender is sagging to 1 facet, like on this possession towards TJ Warren. After crossing the ball over to the left, he takes an extended stride along with his proper leg to clear his defender. He began utilizing this through-the-legs crossover in his fourth 12 months, then mastered it in his fifth and sixth years.
The curse of being so individually expert and athletic is making an attempt to do all the pieces your self. Later within the Pacers recreation, he tries to complete over three defenders and will get blocked:
Theis, Good, and Tatum have been all open past the arc, however Jaylen determined to take it himself. Him scoring on this play wouldn’t be inconceivable; nonetheless, it could take one other 12 months for Jaylen to instinctively make the proper play for the group versus making an attempt to create one thing out of nothing.
6th 12 months: “Shifted vitality”
23.6 factors, 6.1 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 47.3 FG%, 35.8 3FG%, 33.6 MP, 66 GP, 66 GS
On Opening Evening, Jaylen scored a profession excessive (on the time) 46 factors in Madison Sq. Backyard contemporary off a bout with COVID. I’m not going to clip his 35-foot clutch three pointer on Evan Fournier as a result of he has too many different good clips throughout 66 common season and 24 playoff video games. We all know the 2021-2022 Celtics took some time to get going, however as soon as they did, they have been unstoppable.
I’ll begin with a defensive clip:
Unbelievable defensive effort right here from Jaylen Brown, who caught Embiid on a cross-match, and Dennis Schroder, who noticed it and regularly sucked in for assist. After which Brown finishes the possession by forcing a miss along with his personal assist protection. That is WOW stuff!!! pic.twitter.com/09340F9tdW
— Marc D’Amico (@Marc_DAmico) December 2, 2021
He denies Joel Embiid the entry cross 3 times, then blocks Tyrese Maxey on the rim. This sort of late-game effort out of your group chief is invaluable. He may have simply allowed Embiid to get the ball then look forward to a double group, however he’s relentlessly battling for area with a man who has 5 inches and 50 kilos on him.
I’m positive everybody remembers this one:
Every thing right here is ideal: the through-the-legs crossover, the splitting of two defenders, the baptization of Maxi Kleber, the bench response, and the daps to Kevin Garnett on his quantity retirement afternoon.
Jaylen isn’t solely extra expert and extra athletic than most individuals he performs towards, however he additionally has the next motor. Even within the playoffs, when fatigue impacts everybody, Brown zooms across the court docket to make spectacular performs like this in Sport 1 versus Brooklyn:
First, he beat everybody again on protection and completely occasions the block. Then he outruns everybody on the opposite finish and finishes the layup by way of contact. In a recreation like this, the place the Celtics gained by some extent, this four-point swing might have been simply as necessary because the buzzer-beating layup.
Throughout Sport 5 of the Finals, he once more makes use of his through-the-legs crossover earlier than weaving and bobbing by way of three Golden State defenders:
Draymond is without doubt one of the smartest defenders of all time, however he couldn’t determine Jaylen Brown on the rim.
The ultimate play is from Sport 2 versus Milwaukee on the finish of the primary quarter:
It begins with him mentioning the ball guarded intently by Wes Matthews, who’s a stout defender with a low heart of gravity. Jaylen retains him on his proper hip, then when the assistance comes, he stops to freeze them, however by no means breaks stride. Tatum, noticing his defender is distracted, cuts baseline. Brown sees him, and Boston will get an uncontested layup to shut the quarter.
The Celtics have two dynamic wings who know learn how to complement each other whereas not compromising their particular person video games. Just like the above clip, there’s an ESP ingredient to enjoying lots of of video games collectively. When the protection reacts a sure manner, the Jays know learn how to reply each on and off the ball.
I wouldn’t wish to commerce him for Kevin Durant, even when it have been straight up (which isn’t doable due to wage matching, however you get my level). Other than Kawhi Leonard, I can’t consider any participant that’s improved over his first six years to the diploma of Jaylen Brown.
And we obtained to observe all of it.
On the time, I didn’t perceive it when he appreciated the tweet that stated Boston followers disrespect him. After watching all these clips, I see his standpoint. He’s an unbelievable participant who recurrently will get missed.
He was there through the last Isaiah 12 months, the great Kyrie 12 months, the disastrous Kyrie 12 months, the pandemic years, and final 12 months, when the Celtics reached Sport 6 of The Finals. Possibly after just a few months of play, the Kevin Durant rumors will choose again up, and Jaylen will once more discover himself in commerce talks. When that occurs, I’ll gladly plant my flag on the “hold Jaylen Brown in any respect prices” hill.
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