The work is starting to pay off for rookie Jaylen Brown
Jaylen Brown scored a career high 20 points in a win over the Magic Friday night. Brown shot 6-13 from the field and 2-5 from 3-point range. He also contributed eight rebounds and two assists. This was Brown’s fifth career start, and only the second game that he has hit the 30 minute mark. In the other game, he started and played 35 minutes, scoring 19 points (which was his previous career high) on 8-16 from the field and 3-6 from 3-point range.
Brown has averaged 9.6 points per game as a starter and 4.7 points per game off the bench. His recent addition into the starting lineup has added some length and versatility, but more importantly has boosted his confidence.
Brown needs more playing time in order to build up his confidence. By inserting him into the starting lineup, Stevens has put his trust in Brown. As the third overall pick in this past year’s draft, a lot of pressure was put onto Brown, especially being drafted by the Celtics. People expected him to come in and contribute in big ways immediately. It has taken some time for Brown to develop his game, but he is definitely getting there.
Against the Magic, he played more free and didn’t seem to be worried about making mistakes. That is vital for Brown. He only had one turnover in the game. Brown adds some size and length to the starting unit on both ends of the court. Offensively, he can put it on the floor, but also has improved his shooting range. Defensively, he adds physicality, while also being able to guard multiple positions.
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Marcus Smart and Brad Stevens have both praised Brown:
(via NBA.com)
“He’s aggressive and he never gives up,” Smart remarked on Brown’s poised willingness to take initiative. “He keeps going, and as a young player you’ve gotta have that confidence.”
“We talk all the time, and we’ve made mention that playing minutes is certainly part of the development experience, but there’s a lot more that goes into that,” said coach Brad Stevens after the game. “He spends a lot of time studying. He had a great workout yesterday on an off day where he came in and put a lot of time in on both ends of the floor, and I thought he did a lot of good things.”
“The hard part in this league is being able to do it every night, and doing it over and over and over. But he certainly is a guy that is continuing to put in the work and certainly is capable of becoming a guy that is very consistent.”
Not only is Brown a hard worker on the court, but he is exceptional off the court. His love for the game and his desire to study the game is why Danny Ainge fell in love with Brown during draft workouts. He is never going to be outworked because his work ethic is exceptional. If he continues to gain experience and playing time on the court, Brown has an extremely bright future ahead of him.
