An NBA analyst offers a crucial theory about what might occur if the Boston Celtics don’t win the championship this season.
Every week, Bill Simmons and Ryen Russillo debate their opinions about the NBA on the Bill Simmons Podcast. This week, Russillo thought of something to say about Jaylen Brown, an NBA All-Star forward for the Boston Celtics.
“Jaylen has smashed through any ceiling I’ve ever had for him, I’ve said that before,” Russillo stated. Similar to the draft, he starts off okay—he’s really decent, but whatever—and then he just keeps getting better. Last year, I voted for him to be on the All-NBA team, but I wasn’t really sure why I did. It’s acceptable that some members of the analytics community believe it wasn’t as good as they thought it was.
Russillo stated that he has made an effort to focus more on the All-Star forward this season, noting that Brown is getting less looks as a result of Boston’s acquisition of Kristaps Porzingis.
He and Bill Simmons both felt that, when it comes to the difficult shots he takes and makes, Brown has now kind of turned into a “no, no, no, yes” player.
After eight seasons, Brown is currently the Celtic with the longest contract. He enjoyed another All-Star season, averaging 22.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, and a career-high 3.7 assists while shooting 34.7 percent from three-point range and 49.9 percent from the field. The 27-year-old is essentially in his second consecutive season with a true shooting percentage of 58.2, adjusting to Boston’s new offense the most.
Although Brown has still displayed carelessness with the ball and a few unsatisfactory offensive performances in crucial situations, he has made significant progress as the Celtics’ leader by prioritizing defensive leadership and letting his talent come naturally to him. More often than not, he is creating plays for other people rather than pushing things. Together with Jayson Tatum, Brown’s game has been opened by the inclusion of Porzingis.
Because Brown is a skilled creator and shot-maker, Russillo understands that he can relieve pressure on the team and that Brown is one of those stars who can manufacture something out of nothing. According to Russillo, he wasn’t jokingly proposing to split up with Brown.
“When I look at him, I’m always perplexed by this extremely gifted and productive player, to the point where I wonder if the scoring is as good as it gets,” Russillo remarked. It’s not like there’s this piece that’s [expletive] them up, and they’re flirting with being a four-seed and winning a million games, by the way. It feels a little different, and I’m wondering what you think I might be seeing. Or perhaps it has always been this way and I’m just now coming to terms with it. He’s a really good player, but I’m not sure.”
After the All-Star break, Brown has played in four games and scored 27.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, and three assists while shooting 62.3 percent from the field.Owner Wyc Grousbeck has stated time and time again that even if the Celtics fail to accomplish their ultimate aim of winning the championship this season, their window is not going to close anytime soon. They have the longest contract of any core player in the franchise’s history, and it would be very hard to imagine them leaving Boston.
