It is anticipated that Jaylen Brown will face the New York Knicks on Monday, October 9. A day earlier, the Boston Celtics, in their preseason opener against the Philadelphia 76ers, had the All-NBA wing in his uniform. The second night of a back-to-back is about to begin in Boston.
In 25 minutes of action against the Sixers, Brown scored 19 points, pulled down three rebounds, gave up one assist, and stole a steal. The native of Georgia made two of his three 3-point attempts and shot 70% from the field. After agreeing to an extension of his Supermax deal earlier this summer, Brown played in his first game.
For the Celtics this season, Brown will have a new position. Sometimes, after Kristaps Porzingis and Jayson Tatum, he will emerge as the third offensive option. And as we saw against the Sixers, he will also have other responsibilities that require him to lead the line, helping Joe Mazzulla’s club with the second unit.
Jaylen Brown was chosen for the All-NBA second team and earned his second All-Star selection last season. In an effort to establish himself as one of the NBA’s most gifted two-way wings, the seasoned wing will seek to expand on that accomplishment.
Jaylen Brown needs to work on a few things
NBA fans have been making fun of Jaylen Brown this summer because he can’t dribble with his left hand. Throughout his career, Brown had almost as many turnovers (949) as assists (1054) due to his poor ball handling skills. He has also had trouble carrying out the role of playmaker.
Frequently, the seasoned wing attacks the defence without a strategy for what to do next. Brown consequently finds himself misplacing the ball frequently. The story about his left hand, though, is new.
In order to repair a torn ligament in his left wrist, Brown had surgery in 2021. His dribble has gotten looser ever since, and he hasn’t shown any signs of getting better. Naturally, when heading left, Brown’s difficulties will be minimised by the Boston Celtics.
Brown is more likely to be a scorer than an initiate for Mazzulla. Brown could drive the lane, curl off screens, or cut into open space to become a shooting assassin without absorbing too many hits.
Nevertheless, Brown still has a lot of room to grow in terms of his left-handed dribbling and processing speed at 26. That might make him a more formidable opponent when he takes the lead in ball handling.
The Celtics, though, aren’t in a position to give Jaylen Brown developing minutes. Rather, they will make use of him in his strongest role, which is to score the basketball.
