Three-time Boston Celtics All-Star small forward Jaylen Brown has taken a major leap this season in two key offensive departments: distributing and getting to the foul line.
The 6-foot-6 swingman out of the University of California at Berkeley has improved his free throw shooting to a career-best 6.4 attempts a game, while upgrading his passing to a career-best 4.7 dishes per night, writes Zack Cox of The Boston Herald. That assist metric is 1.1 better than Brown’s previous high of 3.6 passes a game, achieved last year. His career average of foul line takes is 3.8, but his prior best over a full season is 5.1 tries.
“I’m just trying to improve in all facets of my game. Just all my weaknesses or things that people perceive as weaknesses, just improve on them,” Brown said. “Just keep getting better and better. My playmaking, my defense. People think, I don’t know, maybe just because other players don’t really improve. But that’s not me. I’m going to keep getting better ‘til I die.”
On the season, the reigning Eastern Conference Finals MVP and NBA Finals MVP is averaging 24.5 points on .446/.342/.764 shooting splits, 6.2 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.1 steals a night for the 20-5 Celtics, now the Eastern Conference’s No. 2 seed. Should he stay healthy and maintain this level of production on one of the league’s top teams, Brown seems well on his way to earning his second All-NBA honor and his fourth All-Star berth.
Led by Brown and fellow All-Star forward Jayson Tatum — plus All-Defensive guards Derrick White and Jrue Holiday, and one-time All-Star starting center Kristaps Porzingis, Sixth Man of the Year candidate Payton Pritchard, and former five-time All-Star big man Al Horford — Boston remains among the favorites to earn a title this season. If the loaded club can achieve a second consecutive title, it would mark the first time that happened in the NBA since the Kevin Durant-era Golden State Warriors’ two straight victories in 2017 and 2018. A win this summer would also further distance the Celtics from the Los Angeles Lakers, the NBA’s second-winningest franchise ever. L.A. has won 17 titles, while Boston has the current record with 18 championships.
Brown, 28, has always been a high-level scorer and a solid man-to-man defender, although getting to the line and passing have never been particular strengths. That looks to be changing now.
