Jaylen Brown: More than enough in Year 8.

Auger34

used to be tbb
SoSH Member
Apr 23, 2010
11,691
It's a reminder of a couple of things--guys who are committed to improvement can continue to improve past age 25, and only God knows how to regress for teammates accurately. IMO both.

The game has slowed down to more of a read-and-react game for JB, which is an absolute joy to see.
10000%.

It's important to look at the individual and situation whenever forecasting these things.

I know we are both certified members of the JB Hive (not sure the heirarchy of it, but @Deathofthebambino is definitely with us at the top) but it really is awesome to witness. Now, if we can only get that FT% closer to 80%...
 

TripleOT

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 4, 2007
8,322
Brown and Tatum are both hovering around 36% from three after shaky marksmanship from deep early in the season. Brown is shooting at 30% from deep on the road, and 41% at home. Last season it was 38% on the road, 28.5% at home. Strange.
 

TripleOT

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 4, 2007
8,322
Brown is actually playing better AFTER getting paid. Not your typical NBA player in so many ways.
 

RorschachsMask

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 23, 2011
6,791
Lynn
I’ve been too annoyingly sick to dig into numbers lately, but Celtics are still +7.4 with Jaylen on and Tatum off, which is just an awesome number.

Like @lovegtm said, he needs White out there with him, otherwise the net drops to -5.2, but Jaylen being able to help them actually thoroughly outplay other teams when Tatum sits is massive for the C’s. I’d be happy with them doing a little more than treading water in those minutes, so this is just great.
 
Last edited:

Deathofthebambino

Drive Carefully
SoSH Member
Apr 12, 2005
42,708
I’ve been too annoyingly sick to dig into numbers lately, but Celtics are still +7.4 with Jaylen on and Tatum off, which is just an awesome number.

Like @lovegtm said, he needs White out there with him, otherwise the net drops to -5.2, but Jaylen being able to help them actually thoroughly outplay other teams when Tatum sits is massive for the C’s. be happy with them doing a little more than treading water in those minutes, so this is just great.
Yet another data point as to why it was so important to move Marcus and give those minutes to White this season. Jaylen knowing he can kick it out with shooters everywhere and the ball not consistently ending up in Marcus' hands for an open brick has been huge. White also plays with pace, he pushes the ball up court, creating more transition (or even just 2on2 type) opportunities for Jaylen.
 

Everetts Dinosaurs

New Member
Jan 22, 2006
254
As someone who has been very skeptical of JB for the past season+, I'd just like to publicly raise my hand, apologize to JB, and accept the cone of shame for as long as this community sees fit.

He's transitioned from one of my most frustrating players to watch to someone that just provides an absurd amount of joy. I prefer watching him play to watching JT play (I'm not saying he's better than JT, just that I enjoy it more). His explosiveness, athleticism, control of the game, improvement on his weaknesses, and the "holy fucking shit" moments that he provides twice per game... I'm just so sorry for doubting you, JB.
 

Jed Zeppelin

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 23, 2008
52,894
Yet another data point as to why it was so important to move Marcus and give those minutes to White this season. Jaylen knowing he can kick it out with shooters everywhere and the ball not consistently ending up in Marcus' hands for an open brick has been huge. White also plays with pace, he pushes the ball up court, creating more transition (or even just 2on2 type) opportunities for Jaylen.
I used to love Marcus. By the end I still liked him. By the time he was traded for KP+ I was ready to drive him to the airport. Now, given the benefit of hindsight and seeing the downstream effects of moving on from him, I......would have driven him to the airport faster.

For Jaylen specifically, I think it has had the benefits you mention. And on the defensive end I think it has opened up more opportunities for CJM to challenge Jaylen with a tougher on-ball defensive assignment. And no longer do we have Marcus guarding the point of attack, letting a guy blow by because he thinks he has help, then outwardly calling out Jaylen for missing a switch or something. They had an odd relationship from everything you could see on the court at least.

You've also removed the biggest alpha personality on the team (fine when it's the best player, awkward when it's like the 4th or 5th best player) and put more weight on the shoulders of the team's best players. And they have welcomed the challenge.

Marcus is a great glue guy but more and more I think he was not the right type of glue for this particular project.
 

lovegtm

Member
SoSH Member
Apr 30, 2013
14,066
SF
I used to love Marcus. By the end I still liked him. By the time he was traded for KP+ I was ready to drive him to the airport. Now, given the benefit of hindsight and seeing the downstream effects of moving on from him, I......would have driven him to the airport faster.
+100

I’ve been too annoyingly sick to dig into numbers lately, but Celtics are still +7.4 with Jaylen on and Tatum off, which is just an awesome number.

Like @lovegtm said, he needs White out there with him, otherwise the net drops to -5.2, but Jaylen being able to help them actually thoroughly outplay other teams when Tatum sits is massive for the C’s. I’d be happy with them doing a little more than treading water in those minutes, so this is just great.
Sorry about the sickness.

PBP Stats is showing me +8.8 for Jaylen with no Tatum (a ridiculous number without your #1 star on the floor), and showing me -1.85 for Jaylen with no DWhite.
 

RorschachsMask

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 23, 2011
6,791
Lynn
Huh, I don't think Jaylen/Jayson/DWhite minutes would ever qualify for CTG's garbage time definition though.
They’ve played quite a bit in 20-30 point leads in the 4th quarter this year. I mostly remember because so many people were screaming about Joe not pulling them lol.

But it’s semantics, even on the lower end, +7.4 is still a damn good number. I’d expect it to be around 5-7 by the end of the season, which is excellent.
 

lovegtm

Member
SoSH Member
Apr 30, 2013
14,066
SF
yeah, they define it according to how many starters are still in the game, among other things.
Yeah, so even with a 20-30 point lead, it wouldn't count. Anyway, not trying to get bogged down in nitpicking, and I definitely use CTG for team ratings. For starter stats, I *think* PBP is the way to go.

They’ve played quite a bit in 20-30 point leads in the 4th quarter this year. I mostly remember because so many people were screaming about Joe not pulling them lol.

But it’s semantics, even on the lower end, +7.4 is still a damn good number. I’d expect it to be around 5-7 by the end of the season, which is excellent.
Yup, I think people maybe don't get how good +7 is for a non-#1 option in the minutes the #1 doesn't play.

Maxey without Embiid and Embiid without Maxey are both +7.

Jamal Murray is -17 without Jokic (in 176 minutes!). Jokic is +8 without Murray.

Chet is +2 without SGA.


Obviously it's a testament to how deep the Celtics roster is with elite talent, but Jaylen is killing it this year in his #2 role, by any standard.
 

RorschachsMask

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 23, 2011
6,791
Lynn
Yup, I think people maybe don't get how good +7 is for a non-#1 option in the minutes the #1 doesn't play.

Maxey without Embiid and Embiid without Maxey are both +7.

Jamal Murray is -17 without Jokic (in 176 minutes!). Jokic is +8 without Murray.

Chet is +2 without SGA.


Obviously it's a testament to how deep the Celtics roster is with elite talent, but Jaylen is killing it this year in his #2 role, by any standard.
It’s an incredibly good number. There was some insane opponent shooting variance when it was up to +11/12 or whatever a month or two ago, but even with that stabilizing, anything better than +5 is elite (IMO) for when your top guy is sitting.

It’s funny, something that I I used to argue about with people is coming into play with Jaylen this season. I think individual efficiency can kind of get overrated. Consistently making the right play is much more valuable than making an extra shot per game. Jaylen’s TS is at 57.8%, but I don’t think anyone would argue when I say that this is the best we’ve seen him play.
 

benhogan

Granite Truther
SoSH Member
Nov 2, 2007
21,870
Santa Monica
The thing that stands out offensively with JB, to my eyes at least, is how good he is at hunting the weakest defender. Great at riding thinner/smaller/slower defenders to the rim on his hip. In some ways, a poor man's LeBron. His defense has taken a nice leap also, not only on-ball but help (ie Tatum lost Kleber the other night & JB came up with a block). Smart not yelling at him after every made layup, is a good pick-up from above.

Credit to CJM for finding JB's best running mates (DW/KP), those two fill Jaylen's gaps.

The team's highest NetRtg 3-man group over 250-mins 125 / 106.6 / +18.4

https://www.nba.com/stats/lineups/advanced?GroupQuantity=3&TeamID=1610612738&dir=D&slug=advanced&sort=MIN

Note: the Miami game will be a good test, Spo always throws crap at JB
 

lovegtm

Member
SoSH Member
Apr 30, 2013
14,066
SF
The thing that stands out offensively with JB, to my eyes at least, is how good he is at hunting the weakest defender. Great at riding thinner/smaller/slower defenders to the rim on his hip. In some ways, a poor man's LeBron. His defense has taken a nice leap also, not only on-ball but help (ie Tatum lost Kleber the other night & JB came up with a block). Smart not yelling at him after every made layup, is a good pick-up from above.

Credit to CJM for finding JB's best running mates (DW/KP), those two fill Jaylen's gaps.

The team's highest NetRtg 3-man group over 250-mins 125 / 106.6 / +18.4

https://www.nba.com/stats/lineups/advanced?GroupQuantity=3&TeamID=1610612738&dir=D&slug=advanced&sort=MIN

Note: the Miami game will be a good test, Spo always throws crap at JB
He is going to make Middleton/Lillard/Beasley unplayable, if schemed up right.
 

wade boggs chicken dinner

Member
SoSH Member
Mar 26, 2005
32,992
I can't confirm this but Lowe said this on his podcast with Simmons (this is a direct transcription; people can check through link below):

I [Lowe] looked up this stat in relation to another player today - Second Spectrum, you know you can look at the pick and roll rankings, like most efficient, per possession. Number 1 in the entire league when I looked it up - points per possession on possessions where this player runs a pick and roll was Jaylen Brown.

I tried to check this on NBA.com but NBA.com has JB as .92 points per possession when he's the PnR ball handler. Maybe that doesn't include passing.

This Reddit post says that Synergy has a chart where JB is 13th (as of January 4th), minimum 100 possessions.

Anyways, FWIW.

View: https://youtu.be/aQ8VyvCeCV4?list=PLu1neCd4swuYczHZQs9u-LOCgY2MnMvys&t=1917
 

RSN Diaspora

molests goats for comedy
SoSH Member
Jul 29, 2005
12,000
Washington, DC
Now, if we can only get that FT% closer to 80%...
It's been so gratifying to see Jaylen perform the way he has on the floor this year, but not only is 80% unrealistic, it sure seems like anything close to it is unrealistic: among players who have shot FTs this year, only Brissett and Mykhailiuk have lower percentages. He's at 71.8% right now (DWhite is almost 90% on the other end), and he has never shot above 76.5% (which he did last year). I don't pretend to know the answer, but I always hold my breath when he's at the stripe.
 

lovegtm

Member
SoSH Member
Apr 30, 2013
14,066
SF
It's been so gratifying to see Jaylen perform the way he has on the floor this year, but not only is 80% unrealistic, it sure seems like anything close to it is unrealistic: among players who have shot FTs this year, only Brissett and Mykhailiuk have lower percentages. He's at 71.8% right now (DWhite is almost 90% on the other end), and he has never shot above 76.5% (which he did last year). I don't pretend to know the answer, but I always hold my breath when he's at the stripe.
Yeah, it's one of those weird things, given how good a midrange shooter he is. The only guy who comes to mind like that is Luka: also a good midrange shooter and decent from deep, but only 74% FT for his career (Jaylen is 72%).
 

Auger34

used to be tbb
SoSH Member
Apr 23, 2010
11,691
I can't confirm this but Lowe said this on his podcast with Simmons (this is a direct transcription; people can check through link below):

I [Lowe] looked up this stat in relation to another player today - Second Spectrum, you know you can look at the pick and roll rankings, like most efficient, per possession. Number 1 in the entire league when I looked it up - points per possession on possessions where this player runs a pick and roll was Jaylen Brown.

I tried to check this on NBA.com but NBA.com has JB as .92 points per possession when he's the PnR ball handler. Maybe that doesn't include passing.

This Reddit post says that Synergy has a chart where JB is 13th (as of January 4th), minimum 100 possessions.

Anyways, FWIW.

View: https://youtu.be/aQ8VyvCeCV4?list=PLu1neCd4swuYczHZQs9u-LOCgY2MnMvys&t=1917
He had a qualifier in there. I believe he said that since that Charlotte game that they lost he’s been #1
 

Jed Zeppelin

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 23, 2008
52,894
Jaylen has always been strong but the way his bullyball game has developed is pretty exciting. His overall ball and body control have become so much better over the years to where he’s not even fighting through tough contact to hit contested shots, but rather he’s actually just cancelling any smaller defender until he’s at the rim for an easy layup.

I mean, this was a player who if his predetermined series of dribbles and spins didn’t work, he was fucked and a turnover waiting to happen. I think it is all just coming to him a bit easier and that little bit has made a big difference.
 

reggiecleveland

sublime
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Mar 5, 2004
28,532
Saskatoon Canada
It is interesting to me that he he is very sim,ilar to last year. Early on he looked clearly bigger, and thought that may constitute improvement in the paint or on the boards. Perhaps he will be stronger end of the year.
He has been a remarkably efficient shooter his whole career.

Compared to last year:
He is playing 2 fewer minutes a game
He is taking 3 (2.9) fewer shots (1.3 fewer 3s, 1.6 fewer 2s)
his efg is almost identical to last year (.550 to .551)
His efficiency has stayed constant with 3p% returning to close to his career .365 at .359 after career low .335 last year. His 2p% dipped a bit from last year (.576 to .557) but seems to indicate an permanent improvement over last two years.
His trips to the line have decreased a bit more than the decrease in shots attempted.
His Tos are down slightly but he has the ball less.

My take is he has adjusted pretty well to the new teammates. He is getting and selecting better threes. He has not overreacted to his new contract and forced shots. Just my observation but his whistle seems a bit worse this year. To my eyes he is attacking the rim and getting contact but due to his strength hasn't gotten the calls. His rebounding has declined about the same amount of that Jrue gets more rebounds than Smart.
My bottom line is that with his new contract and new teammates he has found a away to be just as efficient shooting the ball, only half way through the season shows maturity and is very positive for the rest of the year.
 

lovegtm

Member
SoSH Member
Apr 30, 2013
14,066
SF
It is interesting to me that he he is very sim,ilar to last year. Early on he looked clearly bigger, and thought that may constitute improvement in the paint or on the boards. Perhaps he will be stronger end of the year.
He has been a remarkably efficient shooter his whole career.

Compared to last year:
He is playing 2 fewer minutes a game
He is taking 3 (2.9) fewer shots (1.3 fewer 3s, 1.6 fewer 2s)
his efg is almost identical to last year (.550 to .551)
His efficiency has stayed constant with 3p% returning to close to his career .365 at .359 after career low .335 last year. His 2p% dipped a bit from last year (.576 to .557) but seems to indicate an permanent improvement over last two years.
His trips to the line have decreased a bit more than the decrease in shots attempted.
His Tos are down slightly but he has the ball less.

My take is he has adjusted pretty well to the new teammates. He is getting and selecting better threes. He has not overreacted to his new contract and forced shots. Just my observation but his whistle seems a bit worse this year. To my eyes he is attacking the rim and getting contact but due to his strength hasn't gotten the calls. His rebounding has declined about the same amount of that Jrue gets more rebounds than Smart.
My bottom line is that with his new contract and new teammates he has found a away to be just as efficient shooting the ball, only half way through the season shows maturity and is very positive for the rest of the year.
Yes, we're too quick to forget how worried we were at the start of the year about how he'd adjust to new roles.

"Jaylen will have the hardest time adjusting" was the default take (for me too). And probably it was challenging for him to adjust, but man, he really did.

Jaylen has always been strong but the way his bullyball game has developed is pretty exciting. His overall ball and body control have become so much better over the years to where he’s not even fighting through tough contact to hit contested shots, but rather he’s actually just cancelling any smaller defender until he’s at the rim for an easy layup.

I mean, this was a player who if his predetermined series of dribbles and spins didn’t work, he was fucked and a turnover waiting to happen. I think it is all just coming to him a bit easier and that little bit has made a big difference.
It really changes how they can attack defenses. If you play a guy who is at all weak, even if he's 6-6, Jaylen is going to put him into the hoop. And if you have a 6-4 guy with strength, KP will draw fouls on him from 15 feet out all day long. At their best, the Celtics have 3 guys who can just brutalize various types of mismatch.
 

chilidawg

Member
SoSH Member
Jan 22, 2015
6,741
Cultural hub of the universe
It is interesting to me that he he is very sim,ilar to last year. Early on he looked clearly bigger, and thought that may constitute improvement in the paint or on the boards. Perhaps he will be stronger end of the year.
He has been a remarkably efficient shooter his whole career.

Compared to last year:
He is playing 2 fewer minutes a game
He is taking 3 (2.9) fewer shots (1.3 fewer 3s, 1.6 fewer 2s)
his efg is almost identical to last year (.550 to .551)
His efficiency has stayed constant with 3p% returning to close to his career .365 at .359 after career low .335 last year. His 2p% dipped a bit from last year (.576 to .557) but seems to indicate an permanent improvement over last two years.
His trips to the line have decreased a bit more than the decrease in shots attempted.
His Tos are down slightly but he has the ball less.

My take is he has adjusted pretty well to the new teammates. He is getting and selecting better threes. He has not overreacted to his new contract and forced shots. Just my observation but his whistle seems a bit worse this year. To my eyes he is attacking the rim and getting contact but due to his strength hasn't gotten the calls. His rebounding has declined about the same amount of that Jrue gets more rebounds than Smart.
My bottom line is that with his new contract and new teammates he has found a away to be just as efficient shooting the ball, only half way through the season shows maturity and is very positive for the rest of the year.
Agree with pretty much all of this, and will add that assists are at a career high rate (4.0/36) while turnovers are down. Eye test for me agrees with him being more of a facilitator and playmaker. Of course KP and Holiday making shots doesn't hurt those numbers.
 

slamminsammya

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 31, 2006
10,747
San Francisco
Kinda crazy how he's morphed from being exclusively a beat you with quickness guy to now mostly just taking guys to the weight room and going right through them
 

Buster Olney the Lonely

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 16, 2006
4,739
Atlanta, GA
The pass he made to D White (at the top of the arc) reminded me of Jimmy Butler. Classic drive, draw a double, turn and kick out. It’s something I’ve admired about Jimmy’s game and thought Jaylen could be similar though maybe not quite the passer. In his prime Butler averaged 7apg.
 

Deathofthebambino

Drive Carefully
SoSH Member
Apr 12, 2005
42,708
The pass he made to D White (at the top of the arc) reminded me of Jimmy Butler. Classic drive, draw a double, turn and kick out. It’s something I’ve admired about Jimmy’s game and thought Jaylen could be similar though maybe not quite the passer. In his prime Butler averaged 7apg.
The problem with this approach previously was that the guy he was kicking out to was Marcus Smart instead of DWhite or Jrue. On top of that, when you have TL in the game, you have the paint clogged so there was much less of a double team coming from the guy facing the guard at the arc, and instead, TL's guy could just shade over a bit, leading to fallaway jumpers or a kick out to Smart who had a guy closing quicker.

The thing that's impressing me the most is Jaylen's play without KP in these games. He's been awesome with KP and White on the "second" unit when Tatum sits for 4-5 minutes in the 1st and then again for a few minutes in the 2nd, and then at the end of the 3rd (this is Joe's typical rotation when everyone plays). Now, without KP, Jaylen has been making guys like Kornet look pretty good, he's finding Hauser in good spots, etc. If this team stays healthy, by the end of the season, we won't see much difference in the team when Tatum sits and Brown/KP/White are on the floor, and that's going to be scary for everyone else.
 

Kliq

Member
SoSH Member
Mar 31, 2013
24,055
His biceps are freaking enormous, he's really the embodiment of putting in the work. It's been a joy to watch him turn into this version of JB.
There are a ton of springy 19-year olds that come into the league and never fully develop into anything meaningful. I don't want to claim that Brown is the perfect self-made player because let's face it, he's got a great physical profile to be an NBA player, he isn't exactly IT out there. But his hard work and commitment to making improvements each year has allowed him to become such a great player.

I don't mean to say that Tatum doesn't work hard because he obviously has put a ton of work in, but Tatum has such a natural feel for the game that Brown doesn't have. Brown has the physical tools to be a great NBA player, but I don't know how much of the actual game has come naturally to him. Everything he does on offense feels like a finely-honed skill he had to practice over and over. We all knew what he was like his rookie year, while Tatum entered the NBA with pretty much a full-bag.

Brown is pretty much the best, realistic outcome for a lottery pick who was a great athlete but lacked a lot of fundamental offensive skills. Think about him compared to a bunch of other guys that fit his profile--Josh Jackson, Ben McLemore, Stanley Johnson, Justise Winslow, etc.
 

PedroKsBambino

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Apr 17, 2003
33,356
I have no idea how they are profiling guys these days (Brain Doctor!!!!) but they pegged Jaylen correctly as someone smart enough and disciplined enough to build on those raw tools,
A huge part of what made those lottery picks (tatum/brown/smart) successful is they got the right personalities/motivation levels and that can be incredibly difficult to do.
 

wade boggs chicken dinner

Member
SoSH Member
Mar 26, 2005
32,992
There are a ton of springy 19-year olds that come into the league and never fully develop into anything meaningful. I don't want to claim that Brown is the perfect self-made player because let's face it, he's got a great physical profile to be an NBA player, he isn't exactly IT out there. But his hard work and commitment to making improvements each year has allowed him to become such a great player.

I don't mean to say that Tatum doesn't work hard because he obviously has put a ton of work in, but Tatum has such a natural feel for the game that Brown doesn't have. Brown has the physical tools to be a great NBA player, but I don't know how much of the actual game has come naturally to him. Everything he does on offense feels like a finely-honed skill he had to practice over and over. We all knew what he was like his rookie year, while Tatum entered the NBA with pretty much a full-bag.

Brown is pretty much the best, realistic outcome for a lottery pick who was a great athlete but lacked a lot of fundamental offensive skills. Think about him compared to a bunch of other guys that fit his profile--Josh Jackson, Ben McLemore, Stanley Johnson, Justise Winslow, etc.
Like this post.

The conventional wisdom says that guys with the tools that JB has don't really have to learn how to play basketball when they are younger because they are so much more gifted than everyone else. JB has had to improve his handle, his shot, his defense, and then his ability to read the game. It takes a special person to get this much better in the fundamental aspects of basketball.

But OTOH, guys with tools like JB and who work as hard as he does rarely bust out.

Glad he's on BOS.
 

Jimbodandy

Member
SoSH Member
Jan 31, 2006
12,771
around the way
There are a ton of springy 19-year olds that come into the league and never fully develop into anything meaningful. I don't want to claim that Brown is the perfect self-made player because let's face it, he's got a great physical profile to be an NBA player, he isn't exactly IT out there. But his hard work and commitment to making improvements each year has allowed him to become such a great player.

I don't mean to say that Tatum doesn't work hard because he obviously has put a ton of work in, but Tatum has such a natural feel for the game that Brown doesn't have. Brown has the physical tools to be a great NBA player, but I don't know how much of the actual game has come naturally to him. Everything he does on offense feels like a finely-honed skill he had to practice over and over. We all knew what he was like his rookie year, while Tatum entered the NBA with pretty much a full-bag.

Brown is pretty much the best, realistic outcome for a lottery pick who was a great athlete but lacked a lot of fundamental offensive skills. Think about him compared to a bunch of other guys that fit his profile--Josh Jackson, Ben McLemore, Stanley Johnson, Justise Winslow, etc.
This is well said. I'd say that Anunoby is another guy who put in a good amount of work to build on his great athletic profile, but his growth curve has been slower.
 

Jimbodandy

Member
SoSH Member
Jan 31, 2006
12,771
around the way
Like this post.

The conventional wisdom says that guys with the tools that JB has don't really have to learn how to play basketball when they are younger because they are so much more gifted than everyone else. JB has had to improve his handle, his shot, his defense, and then his ability to read the game. It takes a special person to get this much better in the fundamental aspects of basketball.

But OTOH, guys with tools like JB and who work as hard as he does rarely bust out.

Glad he's on BOS.
This is also well said. It says a lot about Jaylen that he has continued to add to his bag and build out his body past the age when folks usually stop developing. He had a lot to add as a fairly raw guy entering the league, and he has.
 

lovegtm

Member
SoSH Member
Apr 30, 2013
14,066
SF
This is also well said. It says a lot about Jaylen that he has continued to add to his bag and build out his body past the age when folks usually stop developing. He had a lot to add as a fairly raw guy entering the league, and he has.
Honestly, the Jimmy Butler comp (as a guy who just kept improving well past age 25) is looking better and better these days.
 

Euclis20

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 3, 2004
9,424
Oakland
Brown is pretty much the best, realistic outcome for a lottery pick who was a great athlete but lacked a lot of fundamental offensive skills. Think about him compared to a bunch of other guys that fit his profile--Josh Jackson, Ben McLemore, Stanley Johnson, Justise Winslow, etc.
Not a lottery pick and he wasn't quite as physically strong as Jaylen was right out of the gate, but as a prospect, JB always reminded me of Gerald Green. Prototypical wing size, dunk contest athleticism and an above average 3 point shoot, contrasted with a below average handle, non-existent passing skills and limited feel for the game. Very happy JB's career has gone the way it's gone.
 

TripleOT

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 4, 2007
8,322
Not a lottery pick and he wasn't quite as physically strong as Jaylen was right out of the gate, but as a prospect, JB always reminded me of Gerald Green. Prototypical wing size, dunk contest athleticism and an above average 3 point shoot, contrasted with a below average handle, non-existent passing skills and limited feel for the game. Very happy JB's career has gone the way it's gone.
Brown is finally showing off his passing chops, similarly to what I’ve seen in his AAU clips. One reason for his development pace was that he was picked by a playoff contender as the third draft pick in the draft, and was slotted into a role. A contender hadn’t been picked that high since the Pistons went Darko. If JB came up on a bad team, he immediately could have developed as a high volume scorer who had to learn to involve others later in his career. Instead, he came up filling a role, season after season, as that role changed from reserve energy wing to 1a next to JT.

When Tatum sits, JB has shown that he can facilitate, as well as get his own. Hopefully, he will be just as impactful when not playing with Tatum in the playoffs.
 

wade boggs chicken dinner

Member
SoSH Member
Mar 26, 2005
32,992
Not a lottery pick and he wasn't quite as physically strong as Jaylen was right out of the gate, but as a prospect, JB always reminded me of Gerald Green. Prototypical wing size, dunk contest athleticism and an above average 3 point shoot, contrasted with a below average handle, non-existent passing skills and limited feel for the game. Very happy JB's career has gone the way it's gone.
JB's shot coming out of college wasn't above-average; it was a real concern IIRC. Green, however, had a pretty decent shot given the fact that he was coming out of high school.

The big difference between Green and JB is that Green was 192 when he entered the draft and JB must have been closer to 220. JB has since gotten bigger and stronger too.

Also, I won't forget early in his career, JB had an off-season workout video where he raced AJ Bouye, who was a NFL CB and ran a 4.40 40. JB is extremely fast for his size - he would have made a heck of a rush LB. https://www.nbcsportsboston.com/nba/boston-celtics/jaylen-brown-races-cousin-all-pro-corner-aj-bouye/337366/
 

Euclis20

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 3, 2004
9,424
Oakland
JB's shot coming out of college wasn't above-average; it was a real concern IIRC. Green, however, had a pretty decent shot given the fact that he was coming out of high school.

The big difference between Green and JB is that Green was 192 when he entered the draft and JB must have been closer to 220. JB has since gotten bigger and stronger too.

Also, I won't forget early in his career, JB had an off-season workout video where he raced AJ Bouye, who was a NFL CB and ran a 4.40 40. JB is extremely fast for his size - he would have made a heck of a rush LB. https://www.nbcsportsboston.com/nba/boston-celtics/jaylen-brown-races-cousin-all-pro-corner-aj-bouye/337366/
I forgot how much of a concern JB's shot was when he was drafted. I did know that he was bigger/stronger than Green, but assumed some of that was because JB had spent a year in college first. That's not exactly right though, because despite the extra year Green was just a couple months younger, and JB was apparently always a beast - ESPN high school rankings for the class of 2015 listed him at 6'7 220 (Tatum was listed at 6'8 175 lol).
 

Euclis20

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 3, 2004
9,424
Oakland
Is Jaylen the biggest star to enter a dunk contest since Dwight Howard in 2009? Howard entered again in 2020 but was a role player at that point, and multiple big names (Blake Griffin, Donovan Mitchell, Paul George, Demar Derozan) went in the first couple of years before they were really established, but I don't know another all-NBA player in their prime that went in the last dozen years or so.

It's nice that he accepted an invite, and he does dunk a LOT. The only guys who average more dunks and more points than JB are big men (Anthony Davis and Markkanen). JB is 28th in ppg, you have to go all the way down to 77th (Kuminga) to find a guy his size that dunks more frequently.