NBA: Top 10 candidates for 2019-20 Most Improved Player
By Phil Watson
player. 18. . . . Jaylen Brown. 1
Jaylen Brown returns for an important fourth NBA season with the Boston Celtics after a summer with USA Basketball during a disappointing FIBA World Cup in China.
Brown started 70 games in 2017-18, but that number went down to just 25 last season with the return of Gordon Hayward from injury.
But Brown figures to start at one of the wing spots this season for the Celtics after an offseason of change that saw free agents Kyrie Irving and Al Horford leave The Hub, with Team USA teammate Kemba Walker now running the show in Boston.
Brown had a solid season last year, averaging 13.0 points and 4.2 rebounds in 25.9 minutes per game, while shooting 46.5 percent overall and 34.4 percent on 3.7 3-point attempts per game.
It was an odd campaign for Brown, however, who got much more efficient as a shooter inside the arc while taking a major hit in his long-range percentage.
Brown posted career-bests of 65.9 percent in the restricted area, 40.0 percent from three to 10 feet and 43.6 percent from mid-range last season, even as his 3-point shooting dropped off from 39.5 percent to 34.4 percent.
He still needs to become a more complete offensive player in terms of the team framework, as well, with a career assist rate of just 7.9 percent.
But he’s big and athletic at the 2 and can hold his own at the 3 at 6-foot-7 and 220 pounds and had some solid moments during the FIBA World Cup as well, where he put up 7.9 points and 4.3 rebounds in 20.0 minutes per game.
He shot 44.8 percent overall and was 6-for-17 (35.3 percent) from deep, about on average with the rest of a squad that struggled to get the ball inside the rim.
Brown, like Terry Rozier earlier, had a big playoff run for the Celtics in 2018, averaging 18.0 points and 4.8 rebounds in 32.4 minutes per game on 46.6 percent shooting overall while hitting 39.3 percent from long range.
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He will get his chances this season to play starter’s minutes. If he produces as expected, he’s a likely favorite to become the first Celtic named Most Improved Player.