Boston Celtics scorch Miami Heat: 3 noteworthy performances
Jaylen Brown continues to ascend
Remember how the Boston Celtics were rumored to be in on Jimmy Butler almost every NBA trade deadline over the last few years?
Well, Jaylen Brown is making fans and Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge glad that deal never became a reality.
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After getting off to a slow start, Brown caught fire against the Miami Heat to lead the team with a season-high 31 points on 10-of-20 shooting from the field and 5-of-9 shooting behind the 3-point stripe.
Along with his ability to score from anywhere on the court, Brown’s defense and aggressive nature has him looking like a younger version of Jimmy Butler as he is now averaging 19.3 points a game and looking like an All-Star.
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That is why Kemba Walker feels he is the X-factor on the team when he is on his game and playing with confidence.
"“When Jaylen gets going, I think he’s the X-factor for us,” Walker said, via Jay King of The Athletic. “When he has it going he definitely gives us a lot more options – and he’s been playing well all year.”"
As we’ve learned from Jaylen Brown the last couple of seasons, he is going to get better and that is a good thing for the Boston Celtics, especially when they are fully healthy with both Marcus Smart and Gordon Hayward back in the lineup.