Last season, the big story in Boston was Jayson Tatum making the leap to stardom. He emerged as a versatile gunner who can lead the attack alone, and made his first All-Star Game and first appearance in the All-NBA. The praise he received was well-deserved, but it overshadowed the fact that his wing partner, Jaylen Brown, has made constant improvements.
This trend continued earlier this season, and after Brown’s stellar performance on Wednesday night, he can no longer be forgotten. Brown finished with 42 points, five rebounds and four assists, the record of his career, in the Celtics’ 126-107 victory over the Grizzlies.
It was a brilliant match and exactly what the Celtics and their fans would like to see from Brown. Not just because of the large numbers, but because it showed its continued growth in several areas.
Shooting
The 3-point shot was one of Brown’s biggest weaknesses when joining the league, but he quietly turned it into a strength. He’s now a reliable catch-up guy, dropping 41.9% of attempts last season. Against the Grizzlies he hit 7 out of 10 from the city center to equal a career record and, although he hit some points, he also showed his game outside dribbling. After his big night, he climbed to 44 percent of 3 in the season and continues to prove that teams need to protect him beyond the arc.
theater
Game creation is another area where Brown’s game has advanced. He was not required to do much when he arrived in Boston, but that changed as he took on a bigger role in the attack, especially this season with Gordon Hayward absent and Kemba Walker away due to a knee injury.
Brown is up to the challenge and has an average of 3.4 assists per game, which would be the best of his career. He’s doing better readings when he gets on the track, as you can see here. (Further on, in the ball handling section, there is another example.)
And he also gave one of the best passes we’ve seen from anyone this season, threading the needle for Tatum in the fastbreak.
Ball handling
It may seem simple, but an underlying reason for Brown’s success in the previous two areas is that he is much better at dribbling. His control is tighter and faster, and he can now safely move in tight spaces, pass people and create opportunities for him and his teammates.
Just see how comfortable he is here, combining a few moves before getting up for the jump, which he drains over a strong defender at Dillon Brooks.
Later in the game, he made all kinds of moves to shake off the defense and create an open look for Aaron Nesmith. He just didn’t have these skills early in his career.
Brown’s continuous improvement throughout his career has been a great joy to watch and is a testament to his desire to be great. We hear a lot about players who make the leap, but not so much about those who gradually improve their game year after year. Brown followed this less glamorous path, but reached his destination nonetheless.
There were doubts about him when he was chosen as number 3 of the general choice in 2016, and he has been spreading out in trade rumors for years, but he is getting better and proving why Danny Ainge has faith in him.