Boston Celtics: Jaylen Brown is proving to be a valuable, worthy No. 2
Jaylen Brown is a valuably and worthy No. 2 for the Boston Celtics
Over the course of the last two seasons, there has been there fair share of questions revolving around Jaylen Brown and whether he’s the right “second star” next to Jayson Tatum on the Boston Celtics. Even more so with how Kemba Walker has been unable to remain healthy and the departure of Gordon Hayward, Brown has been forced to be productive and pick up the slack as the team’s second-best player.
On most nights, he’s been all the Celtics could want. This season, he’s taken an even bigger role for Boston and it’s paid dividends. Through the first month of the season, Brown is in the top 10 in the NBA in scoring and is on pace to have the best year of his career thus far.
In 15 games, Brown is averaging 27 points, six rebounds, and four assists on 53 percent shooting from the field and 43 percent shooting from 3-point range.
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What you have to like most about Brown and the season he’s had is the fact that he’s taken a bigger role in the offense (now taking 20 shot attempts per game, compared to the 16 from last season) and hasn’t suffered in any way from an efficiency standpoint.
In his last five games, without Tatum in the lineup, Brown has been even better. In those games, Brown averaged 29 points per contest. Even though the Celtics were only 2-3 in such games, Brown continues to prove that he can produce and in an efficient way.
He doesn’t shy away from competition and rises when his team needs him to do so. In his fifth season, Brown is proving that he’s a star and creates one of the best backcourt duos in the league. He might not be a No. 1 or the primary building block for the Celtics, but he continues to prove that he can be a more than worthy No. 2 or No. 3 for a championship team.
Despite not having a complete team for roughly a third of the season thus far, the Celtics are 9-6 and sit in third in the Eastern Conference standings. Boston might not have as many flashy names as the Brooklyn Nets or Philadelphia 76ers, but you can make a strong argument that this team is right there with them as the favorites to come out of the East (along with the Milwaukee Bucks).
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The Boston Celtics are in good hands moving forward in large part due to the continued development of Jayson Tatum. There’s no question he’s their superstar and the cornerstone of the franchise. However, this team doesn’t reach the Eastern Conference Finals last season, nor will they reach any level of success without Jaylen Brown.