Boston Celtics: A look at Jaylen Brown’s slow start

Boston Celtics Jaylen Brown has had a slow start to the 2018-19 season. Here’s a look at his performances and whether it’s time to worry.

Jaylen Brown has entered his third year in the NBA and is struggling thus far in the 2018-19 season. The Boston Celtics have a lot of talent and it’s not easy finding shots for everyone. However, in Brown’s case, he is taking the same amount of shots as last year and shooting at a very inefficient clip.

Brown had a solid sophomore season, looking like a potential Most Improved Player candidate for some stretches. Some Celtics fans even thought he was deserving of consideration as an All-Star replacement when so many Eastern Conference All-Stars were sidelined by injury. This year, it’s been a completely different story.

Before diving further into his slow start, it’s worth mentioning that his teammates have had a lot of early season struggles on the offensive end too. The Celtics are talented enough to correct these issues as the season continues.

Here’s a look at his overall stats.

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 11/9/2018.

His rookie season was not one to remember. In his second season in the NBA, Brown found a lot of success, mainly from 3, shooting an efficient 39.5 percent from deep. He didn’t come into the league as a good shooter, which is why it was so impressive that he shot that well from 3 so early in his career.

This season, his scoring has dropped by nearly three points per game. At first glance, it would be assumed that it’s because Gordon Hayward has entered the starting lineup again. However, he’s taking about the same amount of shots as he did last season.

His field goal and 3-point percentage has dropped by nearly 10 percent. No matter who the player is, it’s not good to see them shooting 38.8 percent from the field and 30 percent from 3. Maybe some of this struggle has stemmed from his foot injury that held him out one game this season.

He may be feeling a little discomfort in the way he’s moving on the court. One thing that hasn’t decreased is his level of confidence, as Tom Westerholm of Mass Live reported before the game against the Denver Nuggets:

"“I’ve been playing basketball my whole entire life. I know how to hoop. It’s a different situation, but at the end of the day, it’s just basketball. So take the pressure off, just go out there and play, have fun, win games and ultimately that’s what matters. “"

It’s good to see a young player deflect any negativity and make it out to be positive. Brown might have a little too much confidence, for that matter.

It’s good to see that Brown isn’t worrying about his sluggish start to the season. It’s early enough in the year where there isn’t a reason to panic, especially hearing the way he talks.

However, if his struggles linger around Christmas time, it might be time to hit that shiny red panic button.