Jaylen Brown told reporters that he appreciated the Boston Celtics’ dedication to him and that he planned to completely return that commitment, both on and off the court, when he signed his $304 million contract extension to stay with the team this summer.
In addition to being the most expensive player in Boston (unless Jayson Tatum signs a comparable contract this summer), Brown has also grown to be the most divisive player among Celtics supporters. Many believe that the Cs gave up too much salary space to a player that acts erratically. Some believe in JB and want him to be a part of the (ideally successful) long-term future of the franchise.
Brown may be the most significant member of the Cs in addition to being the most costly and divisive. The variety of performances Boston can expect from him on any given night might make a big difference in their outcome, win or lose. That could be said for almost any athlete, of course, but in Brown’s case it seems more significant.
Consider a couple basketball games from the previous week.
It was heartbreaking to watch the Orlando Magic lose on Friday in the In-Season Tournament. The Celtics had a great start, but a terrible second half saw everything crumble. Brown had an extremely difficult last 24 minutes, converting on only one of his 14 efforts.
Without even having to delve too far beyond the surface, it’s easy to glance at the box score, see that, and conclude that it was a poor game.
Upon closer inspection, it becomes much, much worse.
Brown frequently opted for hard threes that he had produced himself when it wasn’t absolutely necessary.
Instead of taking on Goga Bitadze on the drive, he chooses to attempt a sidestep three in the video above. Brown would have had an advantage due to his athleticism, which may have led to a defensive collapse and opened the door for some of Boston’s shooters.
After using a Luke Kornet screen, JB sees an opportunity to take advantage of some drop coverage by the Magic. Although the appearance isn’t bad, it does feel a little hurried. If Brown had been more patient, Kornet might have tried to pull Mo Wagner off the dribble or become open on the roll. He couldn’t fire this one up because there was just too much time left on the shot clock, especially without actually getting set.
In the video above, with 16 seconds remaining in the shot clock, Brown pulls up for a three. Even though they trail by 12 with less than five minutes remaining, the offense still has time to set up a more effective shot than this one. Not to add that JB had missed eight straight field goal attempts prior to this.
Jaylen Brown was not the only one to suffer this setback. In this one, a lot of things went wrong. However, as the ship was sinking, his hasty decisions did not improve the situation.
