Boston Celtics: Why Jaylen Brown is an NBA All-Star this season

Boston Celtics wing Jaylen Brown has been playing at an All-Star caliber level ever since he received his new contract near the beginning of the season.

There are handful of players on the Boston Celtics who are capable and talented enough to make the All-Star team. Kemba Walker, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Gordon Hayward, and even Tacko Fall all have received enough votes to land them in the top-ten of first round of All Star voting.

The All-Star game has unfortunately become a popularity contest more than anything. For example, Kyrie Irving played his first game in two months this past weekend and yet he’s second in All-Star voting for the guards. Another example is Tacko Fall. Fall is on a two-way contract and shouldn’t be eligible to play in the NBA All-Star game (unpopular opinion).

But then there’s players around the league who aren’t getting the credit they deserve because of what the game has ultimately turned into. There’s also different variables that start coming into play, such as making the NBA All-Star team as an incentive in a players contract. If undeserving players are getting in ‘freely’ it’s going to start to affect some players in the pockets.

As Jaylen Brown entered his fourth year in the NBA, he earned himself a pretty hefty contract from the Boston Celtics worth $115 million over the next four years. Through the first half of this season, Brown is proving to be worthy of his new contract from showing major improvements on the court. He’s averaging 19.9 points and 6.7 rebounds per game this season.

Jaylen has definitely shown all of us why he is deserving of his new contract, but is he an All-Star? I mean, he’s definitely one of the most improved players around the league, but does that make him an All-Star? In a normal league, yes, but not in this popularity contest of what is called an All-Star team. If the game was truly based on stats and skills, Jaylen being an NBA All-Star is a no- brainier.

For the most part, Jaylen Brown is averaging higher than the league average in regards to his shots around the court this season. A majority of his shots have come from inside the paint, as he has been driving to the basket more often than not this season. A true credit to Jaylen’s work ethic and versatility in his game is the noticeable improvement of his left hand and the usage of attacking the basket from the left side.

You can see Brown is becoming a technician on the court, he knows where his spots are and the shots he’s comfortable with taking. I always enjoy watching him in the low-post. He posts up his defender and will contour himself with a quick spin move jumper to create separation for himself, but also to turn himself back towards the basket in one move. It works well for Jaylen and looks pretty nifty at the same time.

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Defensively, Jaylen Brown has been pretty great and again, a huge improvement to his overall defensive game. He’s transitioning smoothly and staying on his man more often than not. Jaylen is averaging a 105.9 defensive rating, which is right in the same area as some of his teammates. He expects to be the defensive leader for the Celtics when Marcus Smart isn’t on the floor and it shows. Taking a closer look at his progressions as a professional, Jaylen has become much more communicative on the floor and it’s now a huge benefit for the Boston Celtics.

Jaylen Brown also makes a big impact to the team with his defensive rebounding skills. He’s not shy about battling to get the ball to bring it back the other way. Defensive rebounds are an important factor in a game because it impacts two different things for a team: a defensive stop and a scoring opportunity for the offense. 16.6 percent of Brown’s rebounds are coming from the defensive end this season (193).

Jaylen is part of the core group of players for the Boston Celtics. He’s one of four players who have averaged 20 points per game this season for the green and white (Jayson Tatum, Kemba Walker, Gordon Hayward).

According to Coach Brad Stevens, Jaylen’s overall progression is right where it’s expected to be.

Although Jaylen Brown has definitely made enough improvements in his overall game this season to be considered an NBA All-Star, it’s not going to be enough to get him in. For example, his teammate, Jayson Tatum, made another playoff plea for himself on Saturday by scoring a career high 41 points in the contest. Jaylen might have a better chance to get voted in the front court rather than as a guard.

The coaches and players still have a portion of All-Star votes to account for. If enough players and coaches vote for Jaylen Brown, then there’s a very high chance he’ll get in. It’s tough to say if people will continue to vote for three players on the same team, two of which are in the same position group for All-Star voting (Kemba Walker, Jaylen Brown).

I’d love to see Jaylen Brown in the All-Star game, it’s much deserved. I’d also like to see Grant Williams dye his hair pink if Jaylen Brown, Kemba Walker, and Jayson Tatum all make the NBA All-Star team. But if not, maybe Jaylen will be in the running for most improved player by the end of the season.