What Does Jaylen Brown Do For The Celtics?
How does Jaylen Brown fit with the Boston Celtics both now and in the future?
Many draft analysts and executives around the league thought that the 2016 NBA draft was all about the Boston Celtics making a move that would put them closer to championship contention.
It turns out that the Celtics were unable to make any significant trades for a star player and only were able to essentially “give away” a few lower picks to teams willing to part with an asset or two to get them.
Boston did, however, draft a few interesting prospects to add to its collection of talent. One of those guys does indeed have a high ceiling if he ever reaches it in Jaylen Brown.
Brown’s numbers at the University of California didn’t jump out at anyone, primarily because he shot poorly from the field overall with a disappointing slash line of .431/.294/.654.
Related Story: 25 Best Players to Play for the Boston Celtics
There wasn’t a spot on the floor in which he was comfortable on offense, which troubled a lot of scouts considering his athletic build and explosiveness suggested to many that he could at least finish around the basket in college.
Even though he struggled to shoot well at Cal, he did show off his impressive physical tools and overall potential. Coming in at a near 6’7″ and 225 pounds, Brown’s body is ready for the physicality of the NBA.
He has the quickness and awareness combined with his frame to cause problems for other teams on both ends of the floor.
Defensively is where Boston would like to utilize him right away. Having him pair in the frontcourt with Jae Crowder gives the Celtics two versatile forwards who can switch and play multiple positions.
Add in other perimeter defenders like Avery Bradley and Marcus Smart and Boston has the makings of an intriguing team on defense.
But that’s only one half of the game. The Celtics were starved for shooting last year and that especially held true in the playoffs against the Atlanta Hawks where they only shot 27.5 percent from three-point range.
More from Hoops Habit
- 7 Players the Miami Heat might replace Herro with by the trade deadline
- Meet Cooper Flagg: The best American prospect since LeBron James
- Are the Miami Heat laying the groundwork for their next super team?
- Sophomore Jump: 5 second-year NBA players bound to breakout
- NBA Trades: The Lakers bolster their frontcourt in this deal with the Pacers
Brown doesn’t immediately help them in that regard, although his stroke isn’t broken and according to sources he
so he’s put in the effort to improve his jump shot.
If Brown can grow and continue to tweak his jumper to above a league average percentage then his ceiling dramatically increases.
Athletes who can shoot and play multiple positions are all the rage in today’s modern NBA, but there’s one area in which Brown can really take his game to the next level, and that’s as a potential point forward.
At Cal Brown handled the ball and made a lot of decisions for the team on offense when given the chance. He served as a secondary playmaker, but his willingness and the coaches’ decision to put him in that role speaks a lot to the kind of player he could become down the road.
While his assist-to-turnover ratio didn’t blow anyone away and was rather poor, college was the first time he was really saddled with those kinds of responsibilities, so being able to grow his game in that regard with head coach Brad Stevens should help him as he matures his overall understanding of the game.
More hoops habit: Every NBA Franchise's Mount Rushmore
The physical tools are all there for Brown. Now it’s all about putting in the work and doing the little things for him to jump from rotation player to star at the next level.