In Jayson Tatum’s absence, Jaylen Brown is stepping into the limelight. The Boston Celtics forward is dominating on the court this season, specifically in terms of scoring the rock and generating defensive attention when playing off the ball.
During a recent episode of the “Game Theory” podcast, host Sam Vecenie broke down the improvements Brown is showing in his game this season.
“Jaylen Brown is leveling up as a ball handler a little bit,” Vecenie said. “They’re basically running the same actions that they would run for Tatum for brown. Sometimes they’ll throw him the ball on the block and let him make passing reads. Sometimes they’ll have him drive and get downhill. I think his gathers look better this year. I think his handle is a little bit tighter this year. I think that his leap has gone even understated league-wide. I think he’s been awesome.”
Brown currently sits sixth in the NBA for points per game, averaging 29.1 per night. He’s also dishing out 4.9 assists and grabbing 6.2 boards each night while shooting the rock at a 49.6% clip from the field and 36.3% success rate from deep.
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The mid-range has become a legitimate weapon for Brown in recent years. With his elite bursts of pace, he can counter overzealous defenders by stopping and popping in the middle of the floor, where he’s converting at a 47% clip.
While Brown isn’t the only member of Boston’s rotation to show improvement this season — Derrick White, Payton Pritchard, Jordan Walsh, and Josh Minott are all making big impacts — his is undoubtedly the most significant. He’s stepped into a leading role both on and off the court and is proving capable of being the primary option on a high-level team.
The Celtics will be without Tatum for most, if not all, of the season. Even if the four-time All-NBA First Team forward does return from his Achilles injury, it’s unlikely he will be anywhere near his best. As such, the Celtics will need to continue leaning on Brown in the coming months. Judging by his hot start to the season, he’s more than ready to continue answering the call.
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