Getty Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics have won 12 of their last 15 games, and boast the best defense in the NBA.
When you’re playing at such an elite level, celebrities will start to frequent some of your games, especially if you’re playing in their hometown. Why? Because a winning team brings a solid media presence with them, and interest levels are high this close to the playoffs.
So, when Kayne West was spotted at a recent Celtics game it didn’t come as a surprise. The Hip-Hop megastar has always been one to enjoy the spotlight and the free publicity that comes with attending an NBA game was probably too good to refuse.
Jaylen Brown and Kanye West
When the opportunity for a courtside picture with Jaylen Brown arose, it made sense to participate. And, that picture quickly paid dividends as it went viral across multiple social media outlets.
Jaylen Brown Continues to Struggle
Brown’s season has been anything but perfect. The star forward has been in and out of the rotation due to injury or sickness since the start of training camp. A recent injury against the Atlanta Hawks on March 1 seems to be weighing heavy on the Atlanta native.
Since returning to the rotation against the Brooklyn Nets on March 6, Brown has struggled when shooting, passing, and dribbling the ball. In the five games since his return, the 25-year-old has shot 24.3% from deep, 40.2% from the field, and averaged 2.6 turnovers a game, per Basketball-Reference.
Jaylen Brown is shooting 17.2% on threes over the last three games. Grant Williams is shooting 9.1% on threes over his last three games.
I mention this on today’s podcast, but two vital cogs in the offense slumping at the same time is bound to have an effect. It happens.
This isn’t the first time Brown has struggled for a stretch of the season, as he also came in for large amounts of criticism when Jayson Tatum was away from the team with COVID. However, once Tatum returned to the rotation, Brown found a new gear and quickly helped everybody to forget his subpar stretch as the team’s primary offensive option.
If the Celtics are to have any chance of making a deep playoff run this year, they’re going to need Brown at his best, so while not ideal, this recent slump couldn’t have come at a better time – assuming he snaps out of it soon.
Celtics Occupy Fourth Place in Eastern Conference
The Celtics started the season in fairly good form but quickly began to show signs of a hangover from the prior season. Ime Udoka found himself having to teach his players how to unlearn bad habits before he could begin implementing his brand of basketball.
The results were troubling at first, as the team dropped multiple games from winning positions, but slowly, a defensive identity was formed and the wins began to follow. Now, with just a few weeks remaining before the post-season begins, the Celtics have climbed to fourth in the conference standings thanks to their March 16 victory over the Golden State Warriors.
Celtics are legit contenders mood
While it may be too soon to start dreaming of a championship run, Boston now has a platform to build upon and a style of basketball the fans can be proud of. Most importantly, the team is winning at a consistent rate, which will do wonders for the player’s morale, and the franchise’s chances of keeping its stars beyond their current contracts.
The Celtics are back in action on March 18, where they face off against the Sacramento Kings in the second game of their West Coast road trip. Hopefully, the Celtics can continue racking up wins so they can cement home-court advantage and give themselves the best possible chance of challenging for a conference finals appearance in the coming months.