“How does he handle it? I think he cares about it in a way that motivates him,” coach Joe Mazzulla said, of Jaylen Brown’s All NBA snub.
By Jay King
May 24, 2024 12:23 PM
BOSTON — The additional accolades for rounding out his game this season haven’t come. Not yet. Maybe they never will.
Jaylen Brown is still the best player ever before. He made it clear in the beginning of the season. He has since shown it.
As proof, begin with the faith in the Celtics put in him on Thursday night. Don’t just look at Brown’s buckets, even though he did score a few and led his team with 40 points. Go deeper beyond this. See how meticulously he mastered Boston’s 126-110 victory in Game 2 against the Indiana Pacers to gain a 2-0 advantage during the Eastern Conference finals series. Be aware of how well he took on the Pacers guards with smaller sizes and wing. Note how, when Brown began rolling, Boston ran possession after possession through his.
“He’s damn near impossible to guard when he’s got it like that,” teammate Derrick White said. “He was unbelievable. The score was 40 but, as with all players the other players, he was able to read the right play and the correct play. He simply had the poise and a steady hand to reach his positions.”
The next day, after finding out that he was not on the All-NBA team, Brown scored 24 points in the opening half. He was an even-18 in the game. He relentlessly broke down the Pacers defense, both for himself and others and showed off the additional layers of acuity he’s developed in his play. The Celtics had a two-point deficit in the second quarter however, Brown was dominant as they began the game with a 17-0 streak.
After the game in the locker room Brown’s teammates discussed the All-NBA decision to their teammates. White claimed that voters may have been too focused on looking at numbers and not noticing the extent to which Brown had an impact on the league’s top team.
“I don’t know what they missed, but Jaylen Brown is one of the 15 best players in this game,” White declared. “The entire season, on every aspect of the ball Jaylen Brown played so well for us to win games which is what’s the point for the sport. It’s a pity.”
The All-NBA discussion could go on. With the Celtics six wins from winning the championship this shouldn’t be the main focus for players in the squad. It definitely didn’t seem to be the primary focus of Brown.
“We’re two games from the (NBA) Finals,” Brown stated. “So frankly I don’t have enough time to make a fuss about it.” –.”
But, Brown sounded frustrated that other players get more attention. If he’s upset it’s just normal. He was on the second team of All-NBA in the past, but was dropped from it after making significant improvements in the most important areas. He was able to focus on defense. He honed his basketball IQ. He was determined to do whatever was necessary to win games, even though his scoring average dropped. However, it did fall. Perhaps that cost him the All-NBA vote this time around?
“I watch guys get praised and anointed who I feel like are half as talented as me on either side of the ball,” Brown stated. “But at this stage in my life I’m content with it. It’s part of being the person I am and what I believe in and I’m not changing my mind about that. So I’m happy to be me and I’m happy to walk out on the floor every night, and put the best effort in, and improve each year. If people like it or not, it’s the way it is.”
The playoffs should be a good way to earn Brown more respect. In the Celtics in their first 12 playoff games Brown recorded an average of 24.8 per game and 6.5 rebound per game, as he shot 54.4 per cent from behind. In the second round, he stated that that he believed that no one could defend him. Cavaliers were able to stop him. In the initial two matches during the Eastern Conference finals, he is playing like no other player on the Pacers could.
Brown appears as shackled in as ever. Even after saving from the Celtics during the first game in the Eastern Conference finals, he was a bit quiet. Brown was not as excited about his game-winning 3-pointer which was arguably the best bucket in Boston’s postseason run Brown seemed irritated over the reason he had to make the shot. He was of the opinion that the Celtics could have done better. He was of the opinion that their defense didn’t meet its normal standards. He was still able to win but it wasn’t enough Brown. He was irritated that the Celtics had made themselves in such a vulnerable position.
Still in the playoffs, Brown wants to leave no doubt this time around. Based on the fervor Brown has shown since the start of the postseason and is tired of failing. The goal is to show that the Celtics are in good shape today. Should they be, he has to be aware that it’s mostly because the player is prepared right now. He is a better player, even if All-NBA votes didn’t reflect that.
“The main thing about J.B. is every year he’s gotten so much better,” White explained. “He’s simply reading the game more effectively. It’s possible that it got sped-up, he was not really reading the game and now it’s impossible to truly increase his speed. He’s doing the right readings repeatedly. This is a huge win for us. It’s clear that he’s an All-NBA snub.”
The former Celtic Marcus Smart used to make fun of Brown going to the basket as the head of a chicken cut off. In the present, Brown is playing the game according to his own terms.
“He has an innate ability to just get better and to work hard, motivation, he has unreal confidence, but he’s also not afraid to work on things that he knows he has to get better at,” coach Joe Mazzulla said. “So you’ll see him each day during shootaround or at practice, he’s there with a group of coaches, six or seven working on every play and every spacing possible so that he is able to read his plays. He’s just focused on the right things.”
The Celtics have pledged to put aside their own agendas throughout the season. If there’s a proper method to respond to an AllNBA – NBA rejection, Mazzulla believes Brown will discover it.
“Jaylen is just one of my favorite people,” Mazzulla stated. “How do you handle this? I believe he is concerned for it in a manner that drives him. I’m sure he doesn’t worry about it in the least because he knows what winning means.”
(Photo: Maddie Meyer / Getty Images)
