Boston Celtics: Jaylen Brown’s top 5 games this season
5. Game 8
Celtics 135 – Spurs 115
The Boston Celtics’ season started earlier than most. At least for Marcus Smart, Kemba Walker, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, who all played together during FIBA World Cup. The tournament may have ended in disappointment, but it allowed the newly formed trio of Walker, Tatum and of course Brown, to learn how to play off each other’s strengths.
By game eight, the Celtics found themselves amid a six-game winning streak, when they faced their FIBA coach, Gregg Popovich, and the San Antonio Spurs. Popovich, who likely disciplined them on how to play together, knew what worked well and what did not. However, that did not affect Jaylen Brown in his efforts to lead the Celtics to a 20 point victory.
The game began with the Spurs taking a commanding seven to zero lead against the Celtics early in the first quarter. The run ended with a Jaylen Brown layup, and then the Spurs missed their first shot of the game. Brown snatched the rebound and darted down the court, where he was fouled on another layup, then making the free throw. Following a second Spurs miss, Jaylen Brown made another jumper, tying the score at 7-7.
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The Celtics took a nine-point lead by the end of the quarter, highlighted with 12 points by Brown. The guard led the Celtics scoring in the second quarter as well, getting eight points, as the Celtics extended their lead to 18. Sadly, Gordan Hayward hurt his hand, but the Celtics continued to look dominant.
In the second half, Brown was mostly quiet playing a total of just 12 minutes, as the Celtics easily held on. But due to his effort on both sides of the ball, Brown was unanimously the player of the game. His final stat line read: 30 points, seven rebounds, three assists, a steal and no turnovers with a 59.7 effective field goal percentage.
This was the first time that Jaylen Brown that not only he was worth his contract, but that he was a centerpiece in the Celtics future. He was no longer apart of the constant trade rumors or a hindrance to the future of Jayson Tatum. At least on some nights, it was going to be Jaylen Brown’s team.