Jaylen Brown - underrated?

Imbricus

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Chapter 3 in the JB workout video series.
Judging by the basketball piece of that video, his FG% has improved to roughly 96%. I'm surprised they didn't edit out the flubbed dunk -- I think that was the only missed shot in there. I like Brown a lot, though I'm not sure if having a videographer trail him is necessary. If I were him, I'd just be doing all this stuff low profile, then trying to get the jump on the rest of the league next year. I think he should be working on dribbling about six hours a day, then maybe put him in some sim for another four hours where you have to pass into a swarming defense.
 

HomeRunBaker

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Judging by the basketball piece of that video, his FG% has improved to roughly 96%. I'm surprised they didn't edit out the flubbed dunk -- I think that was the only missed shot in there. I like Brown a lot, though I'm not sure if having a videographer trail him is necessary. If I were him, I'd just be doing all this stuff low profile, then trying to get the jump on the rest of the league next year. I think he should be working on dribbling about six hours a day, then maybe put him in some sim for another four hours where you have to pass into a swarming defense.
Jaylen is building his brand and marketing himself through social media. Kids aren't going to want to buy the sneakers of a player who isn't promoting himself. This is the direction of the business of basketball in 2017.
 

wade boggs chicken dinner

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Jaylen Brown did a long interview with the Complex. Other than the stuff on the trade, which is in the now locked thread, some other other worthwhile bits are below. https://www.complex.com/sports/2017/10/jaylen-bronw-meeting-heroes.

What Steph Curry and Andre Iguodala are doing in the tech world, is that something you want to follow?

Absolutely. It kind of helped influence my decision to go to Cal. A lot of people didn’t know why I went to Cal. The Bay Area, Silicon Valley, I wanted to put myself in that position where I’m not only successful on the court but off the court. Why not, right? Not a dis to Kentucky, Kansas, or North Carolina, but they don’t offer that.


You hosted a "Welcome to the NBA" night for rookies out in Vegas this past summer that was well received. Is that something you want to repeat next year?

It went well. A lot of people thought it was successful and people really enjoyed that idea. I don’t know if I’m going to do it next year. The NBAPA reached out to me to do it, and want to steal the idea. If I do it next year it will be a lot more professional. This year, I was bored—I don’t like being in Vegas—these young guys are here, might as well do something with NBA partners and other people related to the business and put them in a room and let them congregate so they can build a rolodex. If I had more time, I could have done more. Next year, it’s a possibility. It’s basically up to me. At the end of the day, it’s beneficial. But if the PA takes it up, it’s no longer cool.

What’s the next book you want to read?

I’m open for recommendations. If Complex wants to put out that Jaylen Brown needs some recommendations for books, I’m down. I need information, but a good story is a good story.
 

DannyDarwinism

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Last night was a glimpse of what this guy can become- 20 years old and taking control of a game against an all-time team with berserker D and versatile offense. This should be a nice confidence boost for him to build on.

I love that he seems to step up in big games. If he brings that energy and focus consistently he'll be a wrecking ball. The kids are the future.
 

wade boggs chicken dinner

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highlights below (worth watching again). Three thoughts.

(1) On the first dunk below, from a standing start he is high enough to hit his head on the rim. That's pretty impressive, even for NBA athletes.

(2) I think he's starting to get a rep on defense that will help him with the refs. On his block of KD (which is even more impressive since he was partially picked off), KD said he hit arm and didn't get the call and on the block of Klay he clearly got the arm but wasn't called.

(3) He's hitting .373 of 3Pers on 4.7 attempts per game. Combine that with his suffocating defense on multiple positions, getting to the line, and an increasing amount of steals (averaging 1.2 per game this year), wow what a player.

 

slamminsammya

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I'm not sure we can call him under or over rated since its not clear how hes rated around here. But his defense looks really good and he can hit threes. He could totally stop developing and I'd be very happy with the pick.

I'd add the observation that I think a lot of his offensive inconsistency comes from the fact that he doesn't create his own offense. If he gets a go to move I think he'll really start to surge.
 

joe dokes

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Last night was a glimpse of what this guy can become- 20 years old and taking control of a game against an all-time team with berserker D and versatile offense. This should be a nice confidence boost for him to build on.
I love that he seems to step up in big games. If he brings that energy and focus consistently he'll be a wrecking ball. The kids are the future.
The willingness to take control is as necessary as the skill. It may not be sufficient, but it is necessary. Also necessary is that the coach and other players -- especially veterans -- on the team "allow" it (for lack of a better word). You see it with Brown, and you see it quite often with Tatum. He's had a few shaky "big stage" moments, but you get the sense that no one is saying "whoa, kid, not so fast" when sees an opening and goes for it. I think both of them are in the process of figuring out what they can do on an NBA court, and thankfully, when they try and fall short on a particular play, they have the right coach.
 

Cesar Crespo

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I think we are all so focused on the future and how good Tatum and Brown will be that we kind of overlook how good they already are.
 

bakahump

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I couldnt help but wonder if JB might be a bit better if he played with emotion on a more regular basis. Sucks that his friend died, and he did a hell of a job honoring him. JB just seems like he is kinda robotic out there at times (other then this game) and his play suffers because of it.

I noticed late in the fourth with Kyrie up high running an ISO JB was flapping his arms trying to pump up the crowd even more.
 

Cesar Crespo

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SSS and all, but Jaylen is 16/20 at the FT line in his last 6 games. Up to 64% for the year. He shot 68.5% last year. I'd like to see him over 70% at years end. His steal rate is up from 1.3% to 1.8% and he's been even more active in that category in the last few games. You have to really like his shot distribution too.

I wonder if he'll be in the running for Most Improved Player. I have a hard time picturing the NBA giving the award to Giannis again but Kristaps is definitely a possibility.
 

Ed Hillel

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Jaylen now at 46/40/62. The last line needs to (and likely will) improve, but dude is looking closer to Kobe Bryant than Jeff Green. He just doesn’t shoot as much.
 

Ed Hillel

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If he consistently hits the outside shot, he's an obvious max player.
I’d be surprised at this point if he’s not getting a max deal in 2020 and Tatum in 2021. Hopefully Kyrie’s maxed at that point, too, and that’s where it gets interesting money-wise. We’ll see if Al/Hayward are willing to stick around for less.
 

joe dokes

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Seat of the pants jaylen observation, that others might have info on. I was wondering if he doesn't go up for the power slams in traffic because he has small hands. Does the NBA draft process measure hands like the NFL combine?
 

Jimbodandy

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Seat of the pants jaylen observation, that others might have info on. I was wondering if he doesn't go up for the power slams in traffic because he has small hands. Does the NBA draft process measure hands like the NFL combine?
He had a couple of fails early this season on contacted dunk attempts. I see it as an adjustment since, and a smart one. Even though his youthful partner threw down a couple of hammers last night, he generally jellies in traffic rather than try to posterize everyone. Two points is two points.
 

Cesar Crespo

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His three ball is unlocking everything for him. He just needs to be average so you have to close out. Him and Tatums first steps are unbelievable.
It's almost at the point where I'm more worried about his FT shooting than his 3 point shot. He's now at .361 for his career, 78-216. Still not a huge sample size but better than anything Marcus Smart or Terry Rozier have ever put together. It's not even just his 3 point shot though, he's hitting mid range jumpers and long 2s as well.
 

Cesar Crespo

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Seat of the pants jaylen observation, that others might have info on. I was wondering if he doesn't go up for the power slams in traffic because he has small hands. Does the NBA draft process measure hands like the NFL combine?
Never stopped Shawn Kemp. Granted Kemp was significantly taller.
 

Ed Hillel

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I was wrong about everything. In Ainge We Trust.
Except his free throws. Has anyone ever shot 40% from 3 and 60% from the line? Seems crazy.

But, all that aside, his 21 YO season compares favorably to Kobe’s. If he continues to improve at this rate, he’ll be a top 10, maybe 5, player.
 

bowiac

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Except his free throws. Has anyone ever shot 40% from 3 and 60% from the line? Seems crazy.

But, all that aside, his 21 YO season compares favorably to Kobe’s. If he continues to improve at this rate, he’ll be a top 10, maybe 5, player.
I don't know if he's on that kind of trajectory (Kobe's age 21 season was significantly better I think), but he's looking like an impact player already. I remain skeptical of the shooting, and I wish he'd at least consider passing the ball, but he's a good defender, is great in transition, gets to the rim well, and rebounds well. At age 21, that's a pretty nice combination.
 

Fishy1

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I loved Brown, and thought he had a really good chance to be really good, but the leap he's made this year is nuts. I can't believe how well he's shooting in such volume. And where he used to miss a rotation every three possessions, he's now seriously crisp. Getting a ton of deflections, too, which was a weak point last year.

I think the free throws will come around eventually. The last couple nights have been bad but he'd been much better over the previous 8 games than he was to start the season.
 

Jimbodandy

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What I see is a guy who learns at a significant rate. The defensive awareness is leaps and bounds ahead of where he was at the end of last year. He is also in far more control of his body on both ends. Handle has also improved somewhat IMO. If he keeps progressing, the passing should evolve.
 

Jed Zeppelin

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I loved Brown, and thought he had a really good chance to be really good, but the leap he's made this year is nuts. I can't believe how well he's shooting in such volume. And where he used to miss a rotation every three possessions, he's now seriously crisp. Getting a ton of deflections, too, which was a weak point last year.

I think the free throws will come around eventually. The last couple nights have been bad but he'd been much better over the previous 8 games than he was to start the season.
There was a sequence last night (it happens every game now but this one is fresh in my memory) where he must have switched at the top of the arc on like 3 straight picks and stayed in front of his man, and then on the 4th (or whatever) pick he recognized immediately that he wouldn't need to switch and stayed with his man instead of needlessly doubling and leaving someone else open. Subtle play but indicative of the leap.
 

Cesar Crespo

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Except his free throws. Has anyone ever shot 40% from 3 and 60% from the line? Seems crazy.

But, all that aside, his 21 YO season compares favorably to Kobe’s. If he continues to improve at this rate, he’ll be a top 10, maybe 5, player.
Bruce Bowen shot 44% from 3 and 40% from the line one year. He made it a yearly habit to be at 40% and <65%. .393 over 2000 shots from 3, 55% career FT shooter.

There are others. Pietrus and Casspi are good 3 point shooters and terrible FT shooters too. Thaddeus Young.
 
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bowiac

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Bruce Bowen shot 44% from 3 and 40% from the line one year. He made it a yearly habit to be at 40% and <65%. .393 over 2000 shots from 3, 55% career FT shooter.

There are others. Pietrus and Casspi are good 3 point shooters and terrible FT shooters too. Thaddeus Young.
Most of these look like single-season flukes to me. Over the long-run, not many guys can sustain this combination of poor FT% and good 3P%. I kept the 3PA minimum at 200 there to include Jaylen, but only four guys had at least 1000 three-point attempts there.
 

CreightonGubanich

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It seems like every game, Jaylen Brown does two or three things that I didn't think he was capable of doing. Last night, in particular, it was that fourth-quarter 20-foot stepback jumper off the dribble over Dirk Nowitzki. Often, it's a crafty finish around the rim where he elects to finish with finesse, going around guys, where a straight-line drive to the rim would likely be an offensive foul.

He's got the defensive IQ, the athleticism, and the spot-up shooting ability, but it's these types of plays that show he's capable of being more than just an elite three-and-D guy. He's really added some off-the-bounce craftiness to his game this season; hopefully, he can make some strides as a playmaker as well. I don't think he'll ever be Kobe, but the Jimmy Butler comparison doesn't seem that far-fetched.
 

Cellar-Door

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Is it realistic to think that Brown can improve his handle, perhaps with some guidance, either in-season or off-season, from Kyrie? Or is Kyrie’s sick ability just too innate to be taught?
Don't know about Kyrie involvement but guys can improve their handle over time. Kyrie may be the best ever, which comes from working on it since he was a little kid, but yeah raw wings tend to improve their handle over the course of their careers.
 

Reverend

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Don't know about Kyrie involvement but guys can improve their handle over time. Kyrie may be the best ever, which comes from working on it since he was a little kid, but yeah raw wings tend to improve their handle over the course of their careers.
In the Shammgod video, Mr. Shammgod said he dribbled with ankle weights on his wrists, which makes so much sense it hurts.
 

Euclis20

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Except his free throws. Has anyone ever shot 40% from 3 and 60% from the line? Seems crazy.
If you ignore guys who didn't shoot a large enough sample of free throws AND three pointers, it's almost no one. Might as well call it a "Bruce Bowen" (career 3P% of .393 on 2,082 attempts, career FT% of .575 on 1,013 attempts).
 

ALiveH

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Even the Bowen "anomaly" is less shocking when you consider he shot 77% of his career 3PA from the corner, and amazingly 815 out of 818 makes were assisted (so they were basically all catch-and-shoots or one-dribble-and-shoot, not a lot of iso off the dribble pullups).