Jaylen Brown - underrated?

lovegtm

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It's fun to go back and watch his pre-draft videos. Starting at the 1-minute mark here, you see his outside shooting. He's improved everything about his mechanics and balance so much in just 2 years:

 

Koufax

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I was skeptical about the videos he released of his practice in the offseason. Meh, I thought, it's just PR. Who know's what he's doing when the cameras are off? I guess we know now.
 

wade boggs chicken dinner

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Thanks. Particularly like this quote, as it shows how complicated NBA basketball is.

That has been a work in progress. Boston's defensive rotations require alert, precise, collaborative participation. As a rookie last season, Brown had to learn on the fly how to identify various NBA actions and anticipate where the next threat was coming from. It was both confounding and confusing, and he executed it with mixed results.

"You have to see two cuts ahead,'' Stevens explains. "If you are the fifth defender on a play, you won't be the fifth defender for long. "Most 19-year-olds aren't ready for that. It's a difficult adjustment that becomes more difficult on the biggest stage, where there's no place to hide.
 

Spelunker

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That's a great quote. And it also has the side effect of accidentally praising Tatum: while he's not nearly the natural defender Brown is, I think his rookie recognition of rotations, etc, is ahead of where Brown was his first year.
 

nighthob

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I actually think that Tatum is the more natural defender, defense comes very instinctually to him in a way that it doesn't to Brown. But Brown's a loooong 6'8" 235lb monster athlete, which erases a multitude of sins. It also allows him to stay in front of lead guards while retaining the strength to defend bigs. So he's got more upside than GoGo Gadget.
 

Spelunker

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I actually think that Tatum is the more natural defender, defense comes very instinctually to him in a way that it doesn't to Brown. But Brown's a loooong 6'8" 235lb monster athlete, which erases a multitude of sins. It also allows him to stay in front of lead guards while retaining the strength to defend bigs. So he's got more upside than GoGo Gadget.
Yeah, by 'natural' I meant his physical gifts which- as you mention- covers even more a multitude than Tatum's length, especially with the weight/strength difference.
 

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Jaylen quite honestly makes me double take several times a game because, out of the corner of my eye, I don't recognize the player. He just plays so much taller than he is--long arms, plus the high top fade, I legit sometimes get confused who he is unless I'm looking right at him.
 

nighthob

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Yeah, by 'natural' I meant his physical gifts which- as you mention- covers even more a multitude than Tatum's length, especially with the weight/strength difference.
Oh, I was referring to instinctual ability. We agree on the physical gifts, if he can ever even approach Tatum's instinctual understanding of the game he's a legitimate DPoY candidate, whereas I think that Tatum is more like Pierce, and incredibly heady defender that's going to be forever underrated.
 

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I actually think that Tatum is the more natural defender, defense comes very instinctually to him in a way that it doesn't to Brown. But Brown's a loooong 6'8" 235lb monster athlete, which erases a multitude of sins. It also allows him to stay in front of lead guards while retaining the strength to defend bigs. So he's got more upside than GoGo Gadget.
Yeah, by 'natural' I meant his physical gifts which- as you mention- covers even more a multitude than Tatum's length, especially with the weight/strength difference.
Oh, I was referring to instinctual ability. We agree on the physical gifts, if he can ever even approach Tatum's instinctual understanding of the game he's a legitimate DPoY candidate, whereas I think that Tatum is more like Pierce, and incredibly heady defender that's going to be forever underrated.
One way or another, it's hard not to see some similarities in broad strokes of psychological makeup. They guys take to coaching, do the work, and seem to legitimately like being part of a what might be called a cerebral basketball culture.

Brown's comments before the season that concerned some about the meaning of the Celtics in their approach in the wake of the IT trade, knowing what we know now, just underscores how much the organization has their shit together such that their 20 year old prodigy was basically demanding to understand the team's philosophy.

That's the kind of shit you build success around.
 
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DJnVa

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Jaylen is the type of player the NBA should be promoting the hell out of. Dude is amazing on and off court.
 

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Just doing some filing.


(Video)

"Man, I’ve never seen TD Garden like it was tonight. I think I’ll remember that game forever. The way the crowd got behind us before the half. That last five minutes [of the first half], man. The energy was insane. I don’t think I’ll ever forget that." [- Jaylen Brown]
 

luckiestman

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Jaylen quite honestly makes me double take several times a game because, out of the corner of my eye, I don't recognize the player. He just plays so much taller than he is--long arms, plus the high top fade, I legit sometimes get confused who he is unless I'm looking right at him.

He reminds me of my memory of Dominique. I haven’t seen much footage of DW in years, so it’s just his aura I’m really remembering.

I got into a strange debate where some said Jaylen was like Demar Derozan and I said no way, Derozan is way smaller, but I was wrong, he isn’t. But I still feel like he is. All this is to say I get what you mean about Jaylen seeming bigger.
 

TripleOT

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He reminds me of my memory of Dominique. I haven’t seen much footage of DW in years, so it’s just his aura I’m really remembering.

I got into a strange debate where some said Jaylen was like Demar Derozan and I said no way, Derozan is way smaller, but I was wrong, he isn’t. But I still feel like he is. All this is to say I get what you mean about Jaylen seeming bigger.
I had Dominique as a old school comp for Jaylen Brown. 'Nique was stronger, but he wasn't in the league until age 23. I imagine Brown as a lot stronger in two more years. Brown is a better shooter, and DW was a better finisher. Brown is already a better defender.

My old school comp for Jayson Tatum is George Gervin. Tatum is a bit taller and wider at the shoulders, but they both play and score so smoothly. Their rookie numbers are almost identical, except for three point shooting. Gervin made a huge leap in year two, like Tatum has done the past five games in the playoffs. I don't know if Tatum will get enough shots next season to be a 23+ ppg scorer like Gervin.
 

chilidawg

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He reminds me of my memory of Dominique. I haven’t seen much footage of DW in years, so it’s just his aura I’m really remembering.

I got into a strange debate where some said Jaylen was like Demar Derozan and I said no way, Derozan is way smaller, but I was wrong, he isn’t. But I still feel like he is. All this is to say I get what you mean about Jaylen seeming bigger.
Brown looks much stronger as well. DeRozan is surprisingly slight and gets pushed around a good bit.
 

wade boggs chicken dinner

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If anyone has18 minutes of spare time, JB was playing ball on Sunday night with Lou Williams in "Atlanta's premiere pro-am league," the AEBL. The game also featured former Atlanta Hawks star Josh Smith and NBA G League MVP Lorenzo Brown of the Toronto Raptors.

 

Jimbodandy

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Truly no days off in the NBA. Some of these guys might still have bumps and bruises from last season.

As a fan I love to see it though. And JB seems so comfortable out there.
 

benhogan

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Jaylen's improvement in play last year was dramatic. But this dude's attitude, work ethic and intelligence is off the charts.

He and Tatum have been moved into the untradeable pile for me.

 

wade boggs chicken dinner

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Impressive. I wish he'd speed up his tempo on his FTs. He shoots his jumper without thinking. FTs - you can tell that he's trying to check things off.
 

Big John

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He has impeccable taste in cities. The Celtics need to keep him away from Barcelona in case he decides to go play there.
 

nighthob

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Wait, isn't Paris Fashion Week in the fall? Like during the season?
There are two of them, spring/summer and autumn/fall. The last one took place in late June. Next year Jaylen’s going to have a prior scheduling conflict preventing him from making Paris.
 

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I like to believe it's when Jaylen says it is, now anyway.

@Montana Fan is my witness (and thanks for the article, by the way) but as much as I love watching him play, I'm pretty much killing time until I get to vote for him,
 

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He has impeccable taste in cities. The Celtics need to keep him away from Barcelona in case he decides to go play there.
This is a good point. What is the Italian league like these days, by the way?
 

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For those of us who might normally skip a puff piece like this, I pulled a few screen shots:

jaylen-01.JPG

jaylen-02.JPG

jaylen-03.JPG

jaylen-04.JPG

Apologies for the red line, but if you're intrigued, I would recommend the video @The Social Chair posted.

Remember when some people were worried about when he asked what IT being traded meant for the spirit of the team and if that meant Jaylen might be a bad apple or something?

Right now, he looks total Boston to me.
 

Koufax

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Last summer I was very skeptical of his videos. Yeah, I thought, he's more interested in filming himself practicing than in practicing. Then I saw the results in his sophomore year. Clearly he had put in the work. Now I am no longer a skeptic. He's just a cool (and talented) guy who enjoys the limelight and is wiling to work hard to stay there. Nothing wrong with that.
 

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"Sucking the marrow out of life" is an expression I picked up from a friend years ago.

Jaylen is that.
 

lovegtm

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Last summer I was very skeptical of his videos. Yeah, I thought, he's more interested in filming himself practicing than in practicing. Then I saw the results in his sophomore year. Clearly he had put in the work. Now I am no longer a skeptic. He's just a cool (and talented) guy who enjoys the limelight and is wiling to work hard to stay there. Nothing wrong with that.
Yup, I think the self-imposed spotlight puts extra pressure on him to live up to his own hype, and then succeeding at that brings him further attention. It's a well-designed positive feedback loop.