Brown had averaged just 16.8 points in the Celtics’ six previous games before scoring 20 in Friday’s win.

Jaylen Brown entered the Celtics’ game against the Magic on Friday in a bit of an offensive slump. He was able to get off the schneid, though.

The Celtics star scored 20 points to go with six assists, six rebounds, and three steals in the 121-94 win Friday. While Brown’s scoring wasn’t necessarily off the charts, he was efficient. He shot 5 of 12 from the field, making one of his two 3-point attempts and draining all nine free throws.

Most of Brown’s scoring came in the third quarter, taking over when Jayson Tatum went to the bench to rest ahead of the fourth. Brown was particularly aggressive in that stretch, scoring 13 points (eight of which came from the free-throw line) in the final five minutes of the third quarter.

As that stretch of play marked Brown’s best offensive showing in weeks, the Celtics star shared that he thinks he’s had to take on a bit of a different role this season offensively.

“I’ve had to adjust, it’s a different year,” Brown told NBC Sports Boston’s Abby Chin following the win. “I just do what the team needs me to do. I’ve been able to evolve through different things in my career. This team, I’m more of a playmaker, so I just embrace it and get better in that role and do what I do.”

Brown’s scoring (23.3 points per game) and field goal attempts (18.7 per game) have actually gone up slightly from last year, when he averaged 23 points and 17.9 field goal attempts per game. But his scoring and field goal numbers were down in the six games prior to Friday as he returned from a shoulder strain. He scored 16.8 points per game, averaging 15.7 field goal attempts and shooting 41.5 percent from the field over those six games.

However, Brown was able to keep up what’s statistically been his best season as a facilitator. He averaged five assists over those previous six games, as he’s averaging a career-high 4.8 assists per game this season.

Prior to Brown’s scoring takeover in the third quarter, he dished out a pair of assists as Boston’s lead improved to 20 before the fourth quarter began. Brown credited his playmaking on helping open the game a little bit in the third quarter.

“For me, I just tried to get my teammates going,” Brown told Chin when asked what got him going in the third quarter. “The game was kind of slow to start. So, instead of trying to force up shots, I just tried to get my teammates going. I feel like that helped us a little bit.”

To Brown’s point, his facilitation directly led to five 3-pointers while his drives to the rim helped Boston score even more. Coach Joe Mazzulla credited Brown’s facilitation for helping Al Horford and Jrue Holiday get out of their recent scoring skids.

But a play that Brown defensively particularly impressed Mazzulla on Friday. In the second quarter, Brown chased a loose ball out of bounds and ran halfway up the tunnel to the Celtics’ locker room in his effort.

“I like how he was thoroughly intense,” Mazzulla told reporters. “I think that’s important for us. He brings a different level of a mentality to us at times. I thought tonight he brought a great level of intensity. He had 20 points on 12 shots. He has the ability to impact the game without shooting. I thought he impacted it in many different ways.

“His ability to impact the game in different ways and bring a high level of intensity is important for us to get better, and I thought he did that.”