Jaylen Brown, The Vet Years

Gash Prex

Member
SoSH Member
Apr 18, 2002
6,823
I think the following is true in many ways relating to Jalyen

We're told Ye thinks Brown is underappreciated ... and wants to bring him to "superhero" status during his career and long after his playing days.
But I don't trust Ye to make that happen in a productive and positive manner.
 

Caspir

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 16, 2005
6,886
I don't like this, but I doubt they will still be Jaylen's agency when he's up for an extension.
It isn’t a sorts agency. It’s a marketing brand that will get him deals outside of basketball, mostly with Kanye‘s athletic fashion line.
 

The Mort Report

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 5, 2007
6,883
Concord
I just listened to a clip from someone asking him about it in a Finals media session on espn.com. It scared the crap out of me because it gave me real strong KI vibes
 

bigq

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
11,083
In the 4th quarter last night Jaylen Brown was 4-6 from the floor including 2-3 from three for 10 points to go along with 2 rebounds, 5 assists and 1 steal. From the start of the 4th until the 7:38 mark he either scored or assisted on the Celtics first 14 points of the quarter while playing outstanding defense. He was a one man wrecking crew and Golden State had no answers. It was glorious.
 

wade boggs chicken dinner

Member
SoSH Member
Mar 26, 2005
30,482
In the 4th quarter last night Jaylen Brown was 4-6 from the floor including 2-3 from three for 10 points to go along with 2 rebounds, 5 assists and 1 steal. From the start of the 4th until the 7:38 mark he either scored or assisted on the Celtics first 14 points of the quarter while playing outstanding defense. He was a one man wrecking crew and Golden State had no answers. It was glorious.
I mentioned this in the series thread, but during that run, JB had basically uncontested jumpers over Draymond and Klay, took Steph into the post, hit a jumper over Porter, and then hit another jumper over Wiggins plus took Wiggins to the hoop for two FTs. If Wiggins can't guard JB, I'm not sure GSW has anyone on their roster who can (maybe Kuminga?).
 

Auger34

used to be tbb
SoSH Member
Apr 23, 2010
9,271
It was seriously beautiful to witness. He came out to start the 4th quarter and was a man possessed..he basically refused to let them get out of reach and keep the game within grasp..then everyone went supernova.

Also he was lockdown on D (against a team that you would think would give him fits on defense with all of the off ball cutting which make ms it more impressive)
 

Auger34

used to be tbb
SoSH Member
Apr 23, 2010
9,271
I mentioned this in the series thread, but during that run, JB had basically uncontested jumpers over Draymond and Klay, took Steph into the post, hit a jumper over Porter, and then hit another jumper over Wiggins plus took Wiggins to the hoop for two FTs. If Wiggins can't guard JB, I'm not sure GSW has anyone on their roster who can (maybe Kuminga?).
They don’t have anyone. It’s Wiggins or bust. I don’t think Kerr wants to play Moody and Kuminga more than 20 minutes combined and those are the two best options (assuming The Mitten can’t play). He could throw Iggy on him but Iggy looks like a shell of himself
 

Ed Hillel

Wants to be startin somethin
SoSH Member
Dec 12, 2007
43,558
Here
Jaylen is the big mismatch in the Celtics favor on offense this series, at least in terms of the starting 5s. Klay can't guard him (or really anyone anymore), but they're going to need him out there most of the time for his offense. If the Warriors get out ahead like last night again and Payton is available, however, I wouldn't be surprised to see Kerr yank Klay and throw him on Brown. Brown has size over him, but he'll have a much tougher time dribbling past him and getting open jumpshots. Wiggins they'll need to save for Tatum most of the time.

As an aside, this offseason, I'd love to see both Brown and especially Tatum work on posting up a bit and backing people down. Tatum probably needs some more weight, but he still should be able to do that against the Steph Curries of the world when he ends up on him.
 

Auger34

used to be tbb
SoSH Member
Apr 23, 2010
9,271
Jaylen is the big mismatch in the Celtics favor on offense this series, at least in terms of the starting 5s. Klay can't guard him (or really anyone anymore), but they're going to need him out there most of the time for his offense. If the Warriors get out ahead like last night again and Payton is available, however, I wouldn't be surprised to see Kerr yank Klay and throw him on Brown. Brown has size over him, but he'll have a much tougher time dribbling past him and getting open jumpshots. Wiggins they'll need to save for Tatum most of the time.

As an aside, this offseason, I'd love to see both Brown and especially Tatum work on posting up a bit and backing people down. Tatum probably needs some more weight, but he still should be able to do that against the Steph Curries of the world when he ends up on him.
Klay’s lateral quickness is nowhere near what if once was. Jaylen would be able to consistently get around him and to the basket in that match up
 

chilidawg

Member
SoSH Member
Jan 22, 2015
5,934
Cultural hub of the universe
Jaylen is the big mismatch in the Celtics favor on offense this series, at least in terms of the starting 5s. Klay can't guard him (or really anyone anymore), but they're going to need him out there most of the time for his offense. If the Warriors get out ahead like last night again and Payton is available, however, I wouldn't be surprised to see Kerr yank Klay and throw him on Brown. Brown has size over him, but he'll have a much tougher time dribbling past him and getting open jumpshots. Wiggins they'll need to save for Tatum most of the time.

As an aside, this offseason, I'd love to see both Brown and especially Tatum work on posting up a bit and backing people down. Tatum probably needs some more weight, but he still should be able to do that against the Steph Curries of the world when he ends up on him.
I wonder if Kuminga or Moody will get more minutes over Poole. I have no idea if those guys are actually good defenders, but GS badly needs more athleticism on the floor. Kerr has done a good job getting them minutes in the playoffs so they're not ice cold like Nesmith.
 

wade boggs chicken dinner

Member
SoSH Member
Mar 26, 2005
30,482
If the Warriors get out ahead like last night again and Payton is available, however, I wouldn't be surprised to see Kerr yank Klay and throw him on Brown.
GP3 hasn't shot s ball in anger in weeks so it's not likely he'll play much but Kerr isn't "yanking" Klay for anyone. Even if Klay is a severely diminished defender, which is how he looks to me.
 

DeJesus Built My Hotrod

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 24, 2002
48,204
I wonder if Kuminga or Moody will get more minutes over Poole. I have no idea if those guys are actually good defenders, but GS badly needs more athleticism on the floor. Kerr has done a good job getting them minutes in the playoffs so they're not ice cold like Nesmith.
It would not be a surprise if Kerr tries Kuminga in spots going forward. He has used him as a defensive adjustment a few times these playoffs to varying degrees of success.

That said, its a tall ask of a first year player.
 

DGreenwood

Member
SoSH Member
Feb 2, 2003
2,444
Seattle
I think one of the keys to second half turn around was Jaylen really understanding and accepting that what the team needed was for him to be a number 2, not a 1b. It'd be a nice reward if he played that role and ended up with a finals MVP because the Warriors focus on stopping Tatum and don't have anyone else that can keep Jaylen from going off.
 

Jed Zeppelin

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 23, 2008
51,289
I think one of the keys to second half turn around was Jaylen really understanding and accepting that what the team needed was for him to be a number 2, not a 1b. It'd be a nice reward if he played that role and ended up with a finals MVP because the Warriors focus on stopping Tatum and don't have anyone else that can keep Jaylen from going off.
I’m remembering some old commentary on Tommy Gun himself putting up a monster performance in a clinching Finals game one year because Havlicek committed to being a decoy.

Jaylen is so freaking good against individual defenders without help so as long as he can get to the point of shooting (i.e. without being stripped by a 2nd defender) it is most likely going to be a clean look thanks to his ridiculous athleticism and ability to square up his shot on the move.

As you say, he is putting together a near-perfect #2 performance in these playoffs. Not every guy has to be a true number 1 to be great.
 

RorschachsMask

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 23, 2011
5,199
Lynn
I’m remembering some old commentary on Tommy Gun himself putting up a monster performance in a clinching Finals game one year because Havlicek committed to being a decoy.

Jaylen is so freaking good against individual defenders without help so as long as he can get to the point of shooting (i.e. without being stripped by a 2nd defender) it is most likely going to be a clean look thanks to his ridiculous athleticism and ability to square up his shot on the move.

As you say, he is putting together a near-perfect #2 performance in these playoffs. Not every guy has to be a true number 1 to be great.
So what you said in your last paragraph sums this team up, IMO. The best teams have defined roles, and those players are great within their roles.

Tatum has clearly embraced the role as best player and the guy who gives the game what it needs, Jaylen has embraced the secondary role, and has just killed it these playoffs. Smart, Al, White, Rob, etc, they all know what they need to do. Of course guys will try to do too much at times, but that happens with every team ever. It’s such a great reflection on Ime and the staff, which Draymond pointed out on his podcast earlier.

View: https://twitter.com/taylorcsnow/status/1532866211494731780?s=20&t=JRZnyZStalO4dt8B_HC0_w
 

ugmo33

Member
SoSH Member
May 6, 2016
165
I thought Jaylen deserved some love for his performance last night which I thought was one of the best all-around games I've ever seen him play. He was frequently being guarded by Draymond on one end and matching up with Steph on the other but he played with an intensity and aggressiveness that isn't normally part of his game. One sequence that stood out on offense (starts at 1:40 in the video) was in the first quarter, he got blocked at the rim by Green, and instead of whining or chirping or backing down, he went right at him the very next play and scored a beautiful lefty layup.

His offense mostly came in the first half, but he played some incredible D in the 4th with an impressive block on Klay, and some of the best one-on-one defense of Steph in the whole game (sequence starts at about 4:15 in video).

People have been talking a lot about force, physicality, and aggressiveness in this series and I think Jaylen's game last night was a perfect example of what that means. He can be a little tentative or cute sometimes and get into trouble, but last night he was fired up and played amazing.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVqnkzO663o
 

Caspir

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 16, 2005
6,886
He is the runaway MVP for the Celtics right now (Rob's ability to bend time to his will notwithstanding). Last night was beautiful coming off of Draymond seeming to get under his skin. He's been an absolute stud.
 

BigSoxFan

Member
SoSH Member
May 31, 2007
47,083
If the Celtics can close this out and Jaylen wins Finals MVP, man, that would be special given the clip of him from 2016. He was great last night. Keep it up, Jaylen.
 

bigq

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
11,083
He is the runaway MVP for the Celtics right now (Rob's ability to bend time to his will notwithstanding). Last night was beautiful coming off of Draymond seeming to get under his skin. He's been an absolute stud.
Agree. Celtics still need two more wins but at this point Jaylen is the MVP. He has demonstrated an ability to dominate on the biggest stage and he has put together two incredible quarters of play in this series that have been deciding factors in winning efforts.

Game 1 Q4: 10 points, 4-6 from the floor, 2-3 from three, 2 boards, 5 assists, 1 steal
Game 3 Q1: 17 points, 6-9 from the floor, 3-4 from three, 5 boards, 3 assists

In this Finals series Jaylen is leading the Celtics in points and rebounds. He is also playing excellent defense. Long way to go but at this point Jaylen is the MVP.
 
Last edited:

Eddie Jurak

canderson-lite
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 12, 2002
44,475
Melrose, MA
Agree. Celtics still need two more wins but at this point Jaylen is the MVP. He has demonstrated an ability to dominate on the biggest stage and he has put together two incredible quarters of play in this series that have been deciding factors in winning efforts.

Game 1 Q4: 4-6 from the floor, 2-3 from three, 2 boards, 5 assists, 1 steal
Game 3 Q1: 6-9 from the floor, 3-4 from three, 5 boards, 3 assists

In this Finals series Jaylen is leading the Celtics in points and rebounds. He is also playing excellent defense. Long way to go but at this point Jaylen is the MVP.
I'm on team Tatum MVP so far, even though he hasn't quite looked the part, because:
View: https://twitter.com/CrumpledJumper/status/1535004670510239745?s=20&t=qfOwB1jCHH7aqio3rPR4ig

Todd Whitehead: Jayson Tatum has created 45% of Boston's points in the NBA Finals.
 

tims4wins

PN23's replacement
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
37,054
Hingham, MA

chilidawg

Member
SoSH Member
Jan 22, 2015
5,934
Cultural hub of the universe
I'm on team Tatum MVP so far, even though he hasn't quite looked the part, because:
View: https://twitter.com/CrumpledJumper/status/1535004670510239745?s=20&t=qfOwB1jCHH7aqio3rPR4ig

Todd Whitehead: Jayson Tatum has created 45% of Boston's points in the NBA Finals.
As much of a Jaylen fan as I am, it's hard to ignore how central Tatum is to the offense. His shooting numbers are down, but his overall game has been excellent. Of course, giving it to Al would be the sweetest.
 

bigq

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
11,083
I'm on team Tatum MVP so far, even though he hasn't quite looked the part, because:
View: https://twitter.com/CrumpledJumper/status/1535004670510239745?s=20&t=qfOwB1jCHH7aqio3rPR4ig

Todd Whitehead: Jayson Tatum has created 45% of Boston's points in the NBA Finals.
That's a good point and there certainly is a symbiotic relationship at play. Jaylen is leading the team in scoring largely because the Warriors are blitzing Tatum and limiting his scoring opportunities. As a result Tatum is taking on an increasingly large facilitator role and leading the team in assists by a wide margin. However Tatum has yet to fully go off and fill up the box score which I think is a significant factor in how MVPs are won. Long way to go and this is just idle chatter filling time until tonight's tip off. If the Celtics win the championship it would not surprise me at all if Tatum wins the MVP and I would be happy for him however at this moment I think Jaylen is likely in the lead. With a SSS caveat it is moderately interesting that thus far through the series that by +/- Tatum is at -7 while Brown is at +14.
 

RorschachsMask

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 23, 2011
5,199
Lynn
I think Jaylen has a bit of a lead right now, but I don’t expect that to be the case after tonight. I think Jaylen will play well, but feels like we could get a signature Tatum performance.

Tatum obviously makes the offense go, but if Jaylen wasn’t making them pay, we wouldn’t be up 2-1 right now. That gives him the edge for me, as of now.
 

Eddie Jurak

canderson-lite
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 12, 2002
44,475
Melrose, MA
I think Jaylen has a bit of a lead right now, but I don’t expect that to be the case after tonight. I think Jaylen will play well, but feels like we could get a signature Tatum performance.

Tatum obviously makes the offense go, but if Jaylen wasn’t making them pay, we wouldn’t be up 2-1 right now. That gives him the edge for me, as of now.
Does the NBA ever do dual winners? That seems like it would be appropriate here if the rest of the series goes anything like what games 1 to 3 have been.
 

Auger34

used to be tbb
SoSH Member
Apr 23, 2010
9,271
I think Jaylen has a bit of a lead right now, but I don’t expect that to be the case after tonight. I think Jaylen will play well, but feels like we could get a signature Tatum performance.

Tatum obviously makes the offense go, but if Jaylen wasn’t making them pay, we wouldn’t be up 2-1 right now. That gives him the edge for me, as of now.
This is about where I am too. Also, we can’t forget how big Jaylen was in that Game 1 comeback. Postgame, I believe every other player specifically mentioned Jaylen taking the lead in the 4th quarter and how they all followed him
 

PedrosRedGlove

Member
SoSH Member
Dec 5, 2005
670
That's a good point and there certainly is a symbiotic relationship at play. Jaylen is leading the team in scoring largely because the Warriors are blitzing Tatum and limiting his scoring opportunities. As a result Tatum is taking on an increasingly large facilitator role and leading the team in assists by a wide margin. However Tatum has yet to fully go off and fill up the box score which I think is a significant factor in how MVPs are won. Long way to go and this is just idle chatter filling time until tonight's tip off. If the Celtics win the championship it would not surprise me at all if Tatum wins the MVP and I would be happy for him however at this moment I think Jaylen is likely in the lead. With a SSS caveat it is moderately interesting that thus far through the series that by +/- Tatum is at -7 while Brown is at +14.
It's all a pretty meaningless SSS, but I think a lot of that +/- difference is because Tatum was the alpha left out there during Game 2's Pritchard, White, G. Williams, Theis line up experiment that failed miserably to close out the 1st and 3rd quarters.
 

RorschachsMask

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 23, 2011
5,199
Lynn
This is about where I am too. Also, we can’t forget how big Jaylen was in that Game 1 comeback. Postgame, I believe every other player specifically mentioned Jaylen taking the lead in the 4th quarter and how they all followed him
Jaylen took complete control of that game, we would have lost otherwise. Not just the quick 10 points he scored, but I think he had 5 assists in the quarter as well.

Tatum had a similar stretch in game 3, just went under the radar a bit. After the Warriors took the 83-82 lead with 4 minutes to go in the 3rd, Tatum scored or assisted on 24 of their next 28 points. Was 110-96 with 5 minutes to go after that, and the Warriors couldn’t recover. In that time, Tatum had 14 points on 8 shots, and 4 assists. I think he figured out the Warriors defense last game, got wherever he wanted on the court, and was finally able to finish at the rim in the second half. It’s why I’m expecting a monster game from him tonight.

Co-MVP’s may be corny, but could be cool in this situation.
 

RG33

Certain Class of Poster
SoSH Member
Nov 28, 2005
7,199
CA
I would lean Jaylen so far (and have him at +900 odds as MVP), but agree that if Tatum has a big game tonight and they pull this out, he will likely get it.

It feels like Tatum has finally figured out that he needs to just go to the basket strong and finish — and not proactively look to draw fouls — and that is going to open things up for him and get him points tonight. I think we see a 35+ point night from JT in game 4.
 

Jimbodandy

Member
SoSH Member
Jan 31, 2006
11,403
around the way
That's a good point and there certainly is a symbiotic relationship at play. Jaylen is leading the team in scoring largely because the Warriors are blitzing Tatum and limiting his scoring opportunities. As a result Tatum is taking on an increasingly large facilitator role and leading the team in assists by a wide margin. However Tatum has yet to fully go off and fill up the box score which I think is a significant factor in how MVPs are won. Long way to go and this is just idle chatter filling time until tonight's tip off. If the Celtics win the championship it would not surprise me at all if Tatum wins the MVP and I would be happy for him however at this moment I think Jaylen is likely in the lead. With a SSS caveat it is moderately interesting that thus far through the series that by +/- Tatum is at -7 while Brown is at +14.
I'm the biggest Jaylenstan anywhere, but this is right. If Golden State was throwing their defensive game plan against Jaylen and letting Jayson do his thing, things would look very different. We shouldn't lose track of that.

Jaylen is playing his best basketball ever and definitely carrying the team at times. If he gets a finals MVP out of it, it will be well-deserved. But JT is also huge right now, and part of that huge is eating a lot of GSW's defense.
 

Kliq

Member
SoSH Member
Mar 31, 2013
22,667
I'm the biggest Jaylenstan anywhere, but this is right. If Golden State was throwing their defensive game plan against Jaylen and letting Jayson do his thing, things would look very different. We shouldn't lose track of that.

Jaylen is playing his best basketball ever and definitely carrying the team at times. If he gets a finals MVP out of it, it will be well-deserved. But JT is also huge right now, and part of that huge is eating a lot of GSW's defense.
I don't want us to lose sight of this: It's incredible that we have seen two of our homegrown, likeable kids grow up over the years and continue to get better, and now we are on the cusp of seeing them win a championship. This isn't a team that was bought or built through friends looking to team up; it was an organic team that we saw develop and grow up and turn into the kind of players that can lead a team to a championship. It's very special and every moment should not be taken for granted. If they pull it out; it will be one of the most satisfying victories you can have as a sports fan because they are OUR guys.
 

benhogan

Granite Truther
SoSH Member
Nov 2, 2007
20,111
Santa Monica
It's all a pretty meaningless SSS, but I think a lot of that +/- difference is because Tatum was the alpha left out there during Game 2's Pritchard, White, G. Williams, Theis line up experiment that failed miserably to close out the 1st and 3rd quarters.
Not blaming Daniel Theis, but have no idea why he appeared in this series. The biggest head-scratcher in these playoffs

I'm the biggest Jaylenstan anywhere, but this is right. If Golden State was throwing their defensive game plan against Jaylen and letting Jayson do his thing, things would look very different. We shouldn't lose track of that.

Jaylen is playing his best basketball ever and definitely carrying the team at times. If he gets a finals MVP out of it, it will be well-deserved. But JT is also huge right now, and part of that huge is eating a lot of GSW's defense.
Hoping Brown wins it, he was the catalyst in Game 1 + had a huge 1st Quarter in Game 3 to get the Celtics going.

Tatum has won plenty of awards already
 

Cellar-Door

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 1, 2006
34,457
Not blaming Daniel Theis, but have no idea why he appeared in this series. The biggest head-scratcher in these playoffs


Hoping Brown wins it, he was the catalyst in Game 1 + had a huge 1st Quarter in Game 3 to get the Celtics going.

Tatum has won plenty of awards already
Just stealing rest for TL without getting murdered on the boards is my feel on it.

Ime runs a tight rotation, and I think sometimes he sees guys need a bit more rest and he's going to have to expand the rotation, and he thinks that keeping guys in their roles, and going to Theis, who is very predictable for good or ill makes more sense than trying something different. Theis will get cooked, but he won't screw up the offense and he'll rebound, and you hope to survive a short burst. I don't think he expects positive minutes from Theis, just asking for not a disaster, which say a Nesmith you can't count on that from.

Edit- also Theis minutes if I remember right came in games where Grant was BAD and hurting on both ends, when he's been better no Theis
 

benhogan

Granite Truther
SoSH Member
Nov 2, 2007
20,111
Santa Monica
Just stealing rest for TL without getting murdered on the boards is my feel on it.

Ime runs a tight rotation, and I think sometimes he sees guys need a bit more rest and he's going to have to expand the rotation, and he thinks that keeping guys in their roles, and going to Theis, who is very predictable for good or ill makes more sense than trying something different. Theis will get cooked, but he won't screw up the offense and he'll rebound, and you hope to survive a short burst. I don't think he expects positive minutes from Theis, just asking for not a disaster, which say a Nesmith you can't count on that from.

Edit- also Theis minutes if I remember right came in games where Grant was BAD and hurting on both ends, when he's been better no Theis
He does run it tight. It was a basic rotation thing. IME corrected it last game by pulling Rob out after 4 min in Q1 and Q3...it had nothing to do with Grants' play
 

radsoxfan

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 9, 2009
13,622
Cross posting from Kyrie thread…..

Jaylen seems like a smart guy, I appreciate his activism, and I probably should cut him more slack for his “questionable” beliefs/tweets.

I think we just don’t want to see it trend toward Kyrie-land, though perhaps part of that is scar tissue after living through the Kyrie experience.

Perhaps more importantly, why is he so mediocre on defense? Poor instincts and loafing 80% of the time aren’t doing his overall value any favors.