As the Boston Celtics near the end of the regular season, they tipped off against the Spurs on Sunday evening in a strong armed win that never casted a shadow of doubt. Ahead of game time, Jayson Tatum was deemed unavailable which meant it was time for the Jaylen Brown show, once again.
Masked Jaylen Brown has been on an aggressive tear as of late, averaging 31 points per game over the last eight showings. Even amidst strange media narratives the past week, mentioning that JB is not happy in Boston (unfounded), he has performed at the highest level for this team. With the full spotlight on this young star, Brown scored an efficient 41 points on 62% shooting.
Not only did Jaylen shoot the lights out, but he brought down the house with a thunderous slam which resulted in the play of the game. The high flying dunk got TD Garden to its feet in what was a rather quiet night from the crowd. During the game Jaylen Brown also tied for the most efficient mark in Celtics history per the amount of shot attempts he took during the game, per the Celtics.
After securing a classic "40 piece" halfway through the fourth quarter, Coach Joe Mazzulla quickly subbed out the All-Star to give him well deserved rest. Jaylen also posted a +28 plus/minus rating on the night, showing how effective he was while on the court. On his way off the court, Jaylen received a standing ovation the Celtics home crowd. Things you love to see.
After the scorching performance, the good news continued to come for Brown as he earned "Player of the Week" in the Eastern Conference for the third time in his career. But the accolades didn't stop there. After news of this reward broke, Malcolm Brogdon, Al Horford and Grant Williams sang their praise for Jaylen, even pushing for his nomination into the All-NBA circle for this season.
Jaylen Browns performance this season has been nothing short of outstanding. He's steadily increased his scoring abilities this year, averaging 27 ppg. This puts him at the 8th highest scorer in NBA. He's also averaging more rebounds this year at 7 per game. He has played an average of 36 mins per game, or the 11th highest in the NBA. He dominates with the ball in his hands, with hardly anyone in the league able to prevent him from getting to his spots. Jaylen Brown for your All NBA consideration!
Looking Forward
As Jaylen Brown and the Celtics gear up for what they hope will be a long playoff run, we take a look at some key end of year topics to keep in mind.
The Celtics, now just 2 games behind the first place Bucks need to capitalize on every single opportunity to take back the 1 seed.
The Celtics have just 7 games left in the regular season, two of those being against the Bucks and the Sixers, which feel like must win games.
Jaylen Brown's case for All NBA didn't start in the last 8 games, but has been more so an exclamation point on his efforts. While Brown has his sights set on a championship and less on awards, we must keep in mind the importance of the All NBA team selection this year for Brown. Per Jay King of The Athletic, "If he makes one of the three All-NBA teams, he will be in line for a supermax extension from the Celtics this offseason worth about $290 million over five seasons. Because of his current contract situation, Brown’s decision on whether to sign an extension with Boston this summer could very well be determined by whether he earns the honor. He will be eligible for an extension either way, but, at least with the rules of the current collective bargaining agreement, he would be able to seek millions of dollars more per season by waiting for free agency in the summer of 2024 … unless he qualifies for the supermax now."
The Celtics tip-off this evening against the Wizards, followed by what will be a battle on Thursday night vs the Bucks. They will then wrap up the week on a back-to-back against the Jazz at home on Friday night. Let's go C's!
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