Does Jaylen Brown have a legitimate gripe with lack of foul calls? originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Is Jaylen Brown getting a bad whistle this season?
The Celtics rank dead last in the NBA in free throw attempt rate (18.7 per game) and are on pace for the league’s lowest output in that category in more than a half decade. Boston’s inability to consistently get to the line is further accentuated by the fact that the team ranks 27th in opponent free throw rate this season (27.6 per game).
Opponents have attempted 169 more free throws than Boston through the first 19 games of the season. The Celtics have not attempted more free throws than an opponent in any game this season (though they did match the Cavaliers’ output of 24 attempts on October 29).
The Celtics haven’t been a foul-generating team in recent seasons, in part due their 3-point loving ways. Boston ranked dead last in free throw attempt rate last season (19.1 per game) but it hardly hindered the team in winning 61 games. Boston ranked tied for 25th in free throw rate (20.2 per game) while winning 64 games during its 2024 title season.
But it does seem fair to wonder if Brown specifically is deserving of more whistles. While many NBA superstars get calls for the lightest graze on a drive to the basket, Brown is often left animated when he doesn’t get those calls despite drawing more obvious contact.
Referees most certainly missed an important call when Brown was tripped in a loss to the Jazz in October, and the league didn’t fine Brown for venting in the aftermath. Brown has expressed frustration about inconsistent whistles on multiple other occasions, including after Saturday’s loss in Minnesota.
The data seem to back up his frustration.
Brown ranks sixth in the NBA in drives per game (16.4) but gets fouled on just 9 percent of those treks. Among the 45 highest-volume-drive players in the league (10+ drives per game, 10+ games played), Brown ranks 22nd among that group in foul rate, per NBA tracking data.
On one hand, he’s one spot behind Detroit’s Cade Cunningham (who gets fouled on 9.4 percent of drives) and six spots behind the free-throw-line dwelling Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (10.4 percent). On the other hand, the league-leading Anthony Edwards gets fouled on a staggering 15.5 percent of his drives.
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On Saturday night in Minnesota, Brown was credited with 21 drives leading to 10 shot attempts. He drew fouls on just 4.8 percent of those drives. By comparison, Edwards drove 15 times leading to eight shot attempts, but generated fouls on 26.7 percent of those treks.
Brown is drawing more fouls overall this season. He has been fouled on 13.9 percent of his shot attempts, which is up 1 percent from last season and 2.3 percent from his 2023 All-NBA season. What’s more, he ranks in the 99th percentile among all wings while getting fouled on 3.3 percent of plays when he’s on the court, per Cleaning the Glass data.
Brown’s 6.3 free throw attempts per game easily would be a career high, and he ranks eighth in the NBA in scoring at 28.8 points per game. Yet all seven players in front of him get to the line more frequently, with Luka Doncic (12.3 free throws per game), SGA (10.1), and Giannis Antetokounmpo (10.3) all averaging double-digit free throw attempts per game.
Brown generated his 10th 30-plus-point game of the season on Saturday in Minnesota. He has sometimes singlehandedly kept Boston competitive this year while teammates have struggled with their shots. Brown is a big reason Boston ranks sixth in the NBA in offensive rating.
The real question is, will referees ever give him the sort of whistle befitting his superstar play?
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