Moments after a late November road win over Cleveland — one of Boston’s most impressive performances of the season — Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla was asked about Jaylen Brown’s ability to consistently canvass the court. The question in itself revolved around his star’s 11-assist night (which tied a regular-season career high), but it spoke to a much larger theme: Brown raising his own floor and his teammates’ ceiling.
On the road in a hostile environment against a playoff team, Brown could have taken it upon himself to force the issue and lead the team in shots by a wide margin, especially during this season with a very different roster. He ended up with just 13 shot attempts, though, third on the team behind Payton Pritchard and reserve Anfernee Simons. (Brown also had 16 free-throw attempts and finished with a triple-double, adding 19 points and 12 rebounds.)
“To me, it’s just having a great balance of understanding when it’s his time versus when it’s time to make a play,” Mazzulla said that evening. “I think that’s been a huge growth of his — not just this year but in the past as well. That’s what you want out of your best players. He takes just as much pride in watching someone else close the game as he does in closing it himself.”
(Jonathan Castro/Yahoo Sports Illustration)
That win was the first of what is now five straight, giving the Celtics (15-9) 10 wins in their last 12 and taking them all the way from 10th to third in the East, just four games behind the Pistons. Boston’s recent surge with Brown at quarterback — the team owns the league’s No. 1 offense over the past two weeks — and its quality of wins (a combined 4-2 against the Pistons, Knicks and Cavs) are forcing a recalibration of the Eastern Conference hierarchy in what was supposed to be a gap year.
Simply put, the Celtics aren’t supposed to be here. Not yet, at least. Jayson Tatum’s Achilles rupture eight months ago kickstarted an offseason of change: new ownership that desperately wanted to shave a looming luxury tax bill, departures of key rotational pieces in Al Horford, Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porziņģis, and an influx of new faces. Boston was supposed to take a step back, perform a soft reset and attempt to build a sustainable product around Brown.
Good luck telling that to a Finals MVP.
Brown has shouldered the offensive load, understanding the heightened need without quality creators in Tatum, Holiday and Porziņģis. In the process, he has unlocked a new layer of playmaking proficiency. Per Cleaning the Glass, Brown’s usage rate has skyrocketed to 36.5%, the highest mark of his decade-long career and the highest among wings who have played at least 100 minutes this season. He’s parlayed that into assisting on nearly one in every four shots his teammates make (98th percentile among wings). It’s a 12% jump in assist rate from Brown’s title-winning season; the creation flowchart reads a bit differently, but it’s an impressive jump in his 10th season nonetheless.
Brown’s tweaked approach to the game fits like a glove within Mazzulla’s system, which doesn’t ask the veteran to step into a role outside of his comfort zone. This season, he’s taking 21.6 shots a game, only four more than last season, which boils down to one extra attempt per quarter. It speaks to a mentality shift, leaning more into playmaking duties than eschewing efficiency in favor of a gargantuan uptick in looks, which isn’t uncommon for No. 2 options who are forced into a No. 1 role.
[Get more Celtics news: Boston team feed]
“He just doesn’t care about that,” Mazzulla said. “He cares about winning and the process of how we go about doing it. He has a great understanding of that — he’s never gotten caught up in a narrative.”
Boston, which is top five in both overall offensive rating and half-court efficiency, is now welded in Brown’s image. The Celtics are a patient offense designed to exploit mistakes and pick teams apart quickly like a hyena attacking a carcass, and Brown is a smooth operator from any spot on the floor.
According to Synergy tracking data, this is the first season of Brown’s career that initiating a pick-and-roll is his most frequent half-court action, more than isolation or transition where he’s historically been dominant. It’s more impressive given that Brown isn’t a natural playmaker; it’s a talent he’s gradually developed over the years. He might not possess the sheer wizardry of a Nikola Jokić or Cade Cunningham, but it’s hard to argue against the results.
“He’s welcomed the challenge of being the first option,” an Eastern Conference scout told Yahoo Sports. “A lot of their success is attributed to creating advantages and keeping his teammates included. The coaching staff probably put him in a great spot to help him understand where double teams are coming from, where the help is and where the shots will come from. You’re seeing a production increase in his playmaking.”
Given Brown’s methodical style of play, it’s no surprise Mazzulla’s Celtics are dead last in pace, but they’re also second in turnover rate and 3-point rate. Nearly 45% of their shots come from the perimeter, an approach that started slowly this season but has picked up since. Over the past two weeks, Boston is shooting 41.4% from 3 (in addition to being a top-five unit in 2-point frequency and accuracy, more of Brown’s influence).
As the first name on every opposing team’s scouting report, Brown possesses a gravity that exceeds his teammates. A good chunk of Celtics possessions end like the image below: Brown surrounded by bodies and forced to make a quick decision. (Spoiler alert: This pass didn’t go to either of the wide-open options on either side of the floor. Hello, Pritchard.)
Jaylen Brown has been drawing the attention and making the right play.
When Brown has the space to drive — and he usually does — the Celtics score a whopping 1.41 points per possession on 2s and 1.2 PPP on 3s, according to Synergy tracking data. Try and clog the lane and force Brown to manufacture a read with a screen? Regardless of where the pick is being set, Boston is scoring in the 85th percentile or better each time down the floor. Keep things honest and let Brown isolate? The Celtics score 1.44 points per chance on kickout 3s. Good luck.
“Just making the right play,” Brown told reporters after a recent win over the Lakers. “Watching a lot of film, seeing where I can get my guys more involved and get some easy baskets. Using the attention that I have to our benefit.”
This also isn’t just the Brown show in Boston. Between Pritchard and starting guard Derrick White, the Celtics have a formidable trio that plays off of one another to keep teams off balance. Per NBA.com tracking data, Pritchard is 27th in assist points created, White is 28th and Brown is 30th.
The Celtics also do a good job of generating more possessions, fifth in offensive rebounds per game with contributions from across the board. More bites at the apple, more 3s, more Brown, more improbable Celtics wins.
But can Boston keep this up?
Through three games in December, Brown’s usage rate is a sliver under 40% with a 27.6 assist rate, which ranks in the 100th and 97th percentile, respectively, per Cleaning the Glass. That’s a ton of responsibility for a 29-year-old playing 37 minutes a night, especially in the age of wear and tear and soft-tissue injuries that have ravaged the league this season. If Brown is able to continue this level of production, does the looming question about a Tatum return this season grow louder?
For now, Brown’s offensive process — his playmaking and his scoring (sixth in the NBA at 29.1 PPG) — is proving vital for a Celtics team not quite ready to depart from the East’s elite.
“When you have a bunch of guys figuring it out for the first time, of course you all expect it to just sync right away,” Brown said. “But we had five or six new players, we are all figuring it out.
“We’ve been getting better every single day.”
Read the full article here
