Chowder and Champions
Fansided

Boston Celtics: Jaylen Brown’s Role Growing Rapidly

By Riley Culler

Mar 3, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard David Nwaba (10) guards Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown (7) as he drives to the basket in the second half of the game at Staples Center. The Celtics won 115-95. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 3, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard David Nwaba (10) guards Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown (7) as he drives to the basket in the second half of the game at Staples Center. The Celtics won 115-95. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Boston Celtics rookie Jaylen Brown is catching fire, thanks to an increase in minutes.

Twenty-year-old rookie Jaylen Brown hasn’t gotten much recognition this year, but that may change as his role with the Boston Celtics is becoming increasingly more valuable. Brown’s minutes first increased as the Celtics were dealing with a plethora of injuries.

With most of the Celtics injuries subsiding, Brown is still getting substantial minutes off the bench. Which tells us how much coach Brad Stevens values the rookie.

More from Boston Celtics

In the first 40 games of the season, Brown only played 20+ minutes in six games. In those six games the Celtics went 1-5; Brown averaged 10/2/1 (PPG/RPG/APG). Since January 16th, Brown has played 20+ minutes in 14 of Boston’s last 22 games. Brown averaged 11/5/1 (PPG/RPG/APG) and the Celtics consequently went 10-4 in that stretch. While his stats are only slightly better, it is the Celtics record to keep your eye on, Brown compliments Marcus Smart coming off the bench so well.

Jaylen Brown has yet to crack the NBA’s top 10 rookie rankings which come out weekly called the “KIA Rookie Ladder”. This may be due to the fact that Brown hadn’t gotten much playing time in the first half of the season. If Brown continues to get 20+ minutes often, he should and will finish as a top 10 NBA rookie.

Brown could be a solid starter for the Celtics next year.

Jaylen Brown is one of the young guys on the Celtics that they cannot afford to lose. He has been compared to players like Jimmy Butler due to his intangibles and stature. That may be the reason why GM Danny Ainge didn’t trade for Butler, Brown could be Boston’s Butler per se.

Brown is finally starting to get a feel for NBA basketball, this is Brown’s 2nd year above the high school basketball level as he only played 1 year at the University of California.

If the Celtics make at least the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals, Brown then should also have at least 10 playoff games under his belt. With the Celtics huge off-season ahead of them, it is hard to predict not only who is going to be a starter next year, but who will even be on the team.

Next: Jaylen Brown Shines in Win Over Los Angeles Lakers

As for now, if Brown continues to contribute, coach Brad Stevens will keep giving him minutes. The Celtics are showing the NBA how to win using young talent and depth, rather than buying superstars.

Home/Boston Celtics