Getty Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics
Both Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have begun the new season playing at an All-Star level, and have helped the Boston Celtics obtain the best record in the NBA as a result.
However, when speaking to Heavy on Sports’ Sean Deveney, under the condition of anonymity, an Eastern Conference Executive shared their thoughts on one area that is limiting Brown from reaching his full potential.
Jaylen Brown didn’t even turn his head on this no-look pass to Marcus Smart in the corner for a 3. This is literal art in motion #Celtics #BleedGreen
“The thing that is still something to worry about, is his turnovers. He still gets into a mode where he tries to force the action too much and they operate so much better when they’re making three, four, or five passes in a possession. He is capable of taking over a game by just attacking, attacking, attacking, but a defense can read that and strip the ball. You can live with four or five turnovers from James Harden or Kevin Durant because they’ve got the ball so much, but Jaylen is the No. 2 option, he should not have those kind of turnover numbers,” the Executive said.
Brown is currently in his seventh season in the NBA, and throughout his time in the league has tallied 886 assists and 812 turnovers, giving him almost a 1:1 assist-to-turnover ratio, which is not what you want from a player who consumes a significant chunk of your offensive possessions.
Jaylen Brown is Full of Confidence
Speaking to the media following his 36-point performance against the Washington Wizards, Jaylen Brown put the rest of the NBA on notice, sharing his belief that he’s capable of anything on a basketball court.
“I think I’m capable of doing anything and everything” 💯
Jaylen Brown (@FCHWPO) talks with @ChrisForsberg_ after his 36-point night vs. Washington
“I keep doing what I’ve been doing this whole time. I think I’m capable of doing anything and everything, so, I’m just coming out here, playing with my teammates, having fun, letting the game take care of itself,” Brown said.
Brown will be knocking on the door of an All-Star appearance, assuming he can keep up his electric start to the season, where he averaging 26.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game while shooting 34.4% from deep and 50.7% from the field.
Marcus Smart Praises Brown’s Improvements
Following Boston’s victory over Washington, Marcus Smart heaped praise onto Brown while speaking to the media as part of his post-game press conference, noting how the Georgia native has improved every aspect of his game.
Marcus Smart tells a story about Rookie Jaylen Brown trying to play to fast 🤣
📺Full Postgame Interview: t.co/vorygvr1qb
“A little story: When Jaylen first got here, he used to go one-on-five, one-on-four, just throw up some bull****. We would look at him like, ‘Jaylen, what are you doing?’ And his excuse to us was — or his reasoning was, ‘When everyone is telling me to slow down, the defense hears that, so I’m going to speed up.’ And we were like, ‘No, no, no, that doesn’t make any sense…He’s using more of his grace now to where he’s understanding that sometimes, just being patient and, you know, let the game come to me, instead of just trying to go get it. I think that part of his game has grown exponentially for us. He’s patient with the ball, making his reads, taking his shots, when to pick his spots, when to go put his head down, and on the defensive end,” Smart said.
The Celtics currently boast the best record in the NBA and sit atop the Eastern Conference standings, one would hope that their current run of form continues throughout the season and that we see them return to the NBA Finals for the first time of asking.