Whether or not you agree with the Celtics decision to give fourth-year swingman Jaylen Brown a massive extension, there’s no denying that the 23-year-old has been a man on a mission to start the season.
Due to early foul trouble, Brown was limited to just a tick short of 21 minutes, and only potted eight points on 3-of-6 shooting in the team’s season opener against the 76ers. However, in Boston’s home opener against the reigning Finals-winning Raptors, Brown put on a display the likes of which we have never Jaylen Brown play.
Twenty-five points, nine rebounds, four assists (including a gorgeous bounce pass to Gordon Hayward on the fastbreak), as well as contributing two blocks and a steal in 38 minutes. Brown got it done on both ends of the floor in a multitude of ways –– proving to be worth the generous investment Danny Ainge made in him.
JB with a DIME to Hayward on the break! https://t.co/cdnR7C7M21
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) October 26, 2019
Seeing Brown play like that just makes you sit back and appreciate how far the Cal product has come since draft night three years ago.
Brown was certainly not a popular pick for his draft class, considering the team had also held workouts with local college star Kris Dunn, Oklahoma sharpshooter Buddy Hield, as well as guys like Jamal Murray and Marquese Chriss being available at pick No. 3.
The fact of the matter is, the Garden crowd wrote of Jaylen Brown as a bust just seconds into his NBA career. And while his development hasn’t always been encouraging, he remains one of the more confident young players in the league; and, for the most part, he backs it up with on-court performance.
The jury is still out on if Brown can sustain this level of success that has him sitting at an early 59.4 percent true-shooting percentage, while also becoming a force on the defensive glass. But in the age of knee-jerk reactions, Brown seems to be making the most of Danny Ainge’s $103 million guaranteed investment.
