Jaylen Brown: First Impressions, Summer League Edition

Jaylen Brown may not have been the ideal choice for most Boston Celtics fans, but after a rocky start, he’s slowly winning the fan base over with his electrifying play.

I guess it just comes with the territory.

When you’re drafted by a franchise with 17 championship banners hanging in its rafters, there’s an expectation for excellence. And when you’re the third overall pick, you’re expected to carry the winning lineage established by the Larry Birds and the Paul Pierces of eras past.

Thus, the outcry of premature disappointment was expected from the vociferous army that bleeds Celtic green when their prized first-round draft choice, Jaylen Brown — who was considered a reach by many draft experts at No. 3 — stumbled out of the gate in Summer League play.

Sure, he got to the line at will in his debut, but Brown had shot just 5-for-26 through his first three unofficial games as a pro. And, as any obsessed fan base would, Celtic Nation panicked.

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His struggles were judged under an even more heated microscope, as the man he was picked over,

Kris Dunn

, tore up the same brand of Summer League competition as a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves.

However, the newest Boston Celtic draftee has turned things around as the week has rolled along — stringing together several impressive performances that saw the former Cal Golden Bear drop consecutive 20-plus games by getting to the line an astounding 36 times in a 3-game span.

Throughout Summer League, Brown has shown much of what we already know: he’s an elite athlete blessed a rare concoction of physical gifts.

At 6’6.5″ (in shoes) and a freakish 7’0″ wingspan, the teenager is already armed with an NBA-ready body at 223 pounds. In conjunction with his elite physical tools, Brown is also equipped with a powerful first step, and a fearless, ultra-competitive on-court demeanor.

What makes Jaylen truly special is his ability to slither through opposing defenses, and get to the front of the basket as often as he pleases.

Jaylen Brown has now earned 36 free throw attempts over 92 summer league minutes. That's a lot.
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) July 12, 2016

Billed as a raw pure athlete, Brown is a much more polished ballhandler and passer than given credit for. He’s at his best when playing through his inherent instincts, most notably, in the open court.

It was no coincidence that Jaylen looked his best during the Celtics’ tilt against the Dallas Mavericks, when the opposition decided to press the Cs during the second half of the game.

In the said helter-skelter environment, the 19-year-old man-child was able to shake loose on numerous occasions with a bevy of nifty hesitation dribbles, including his patented in-and-out maneuver (which he is capable of performing with both hands) and spin moves down the lane.

Brown was also able to locate his open wing shooters when the defense collapsed on the young swingman.

While the Marietta, Ga., native predictably struggled as the game slowed down in the half-court, Brown did give glimpses of the rare wiggle he has in his dribble-drive game by breaking his defender off with a couple of breathtaking crossover combinations.

Simply put, it is rare to find a teenage swingman that combines the elite physical tools, athleticism, and natural handle/vision that Brown possesses.

His ability to handle the rock — combined with his aforementioned first-step — is also the reason he’s been able to get to line as much he’s had.

The bad? Well, Jaylen isn’t exactly the best decision-maker as of yet.

More specifically, although Brown isn’t rookie Andrew Wiggins in terms of his ballhandling ability, he usually overestimates his skills by trying to complete plays that require a James Harden-esque type of handle.

As a result, most of his brave forays usually lead to a turnover or an ill-advised desperate shot attempt at the rim.

Additionally, for a player as physically imposing and built as Brown is, he is an awfully weak finisher around the rim.

It may be a matter of core balance or it might’ve been his bothersome knee, but Jaylen has a tendency of almost relaxing when he explodes past the last line of defense, short-arming most of his at-the-rim attempts.

To make matters worse, he’s almost the antithesis of prime-Derrick Rose, in that there is absolutely zero creativity and touch with his finishes.

He usually morphs into a bull in a china shop in such instances; in the NBA, save for LeBron James, most attempts of bully-ball is usually met by a brick wall or a blocked shot — especially with today’s ambiguous interpretation of “the rule of verticality.”

Defensively, Brown certainly looks the part. With his tools, heart, and motor, Jaylen has all the makings of an elite 2-way wing if everything breaks right. For now, however, he is — as most teenagers are — a painfully undisciplined defender.

Sure, he tries hard, but the over-gambling on steals and inability to navigate through screens is going to be a problem next season.

In addition, Brown has the capacity to be a much more impactfull off-ball player. At resent, he is extremely sedentary when the ball is not in his hands. I couldn’t recall any scoring opportunities Jaylen created through the use of a cut for the entirety of the week.

So what will Brown’s role look like next year?

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The good news for Jaylen is that his coach is Brad Stevens.

If the future president of the United States can rein Brown in just a tad bit, and get the ultra-talented wing to concentrate on the nuances of NBA pick-and-roll D, running the break with conviction and attacking the rim without hesitation, Jaylen could become a staple in the rotation backing up Jae Crowder.

He has even shown — although the percentage may not show it — a decent 3-point stroke, especially in a catch-and-shoot setting.

To fully reach his lofty potential, though, Jaylen has to continue to add to his already established dribble-drive game. If he can somehow refine his pull-up game — in particular, by using his legs more on his jump shot — he’d become instantly that much more difficult of a cover.

The Celtics and their general manager, Danny Ainge, clearly took a calculated gamble on Jaylen Brown.

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Whether he becomes the second coming of Corey Maggette or Kawhi Leonard will hinge on the development of his core strength, the restructuring of his his pull-up jumper, and the enhancement of his on-court decision-making/awareness.

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