Another Sloppy Jaylen Brown Performance Undermines Highlight Dunk

BOSTON — There was a game on Sunday which preceded the Kevin Garnett retirement ceremony.

An exceptional one too, yet hard to notice between the video tributes and standing ovations, between two teams sporting 24-8 records in 2022 and statistically the best defenses in the NBA over that stretch. That and the Golden State trip stood to test the ascending Celtics’ offense.

The game intersected with KG day often, no moment bigger than Jaylen Brown’s one-handed slam over Maxi Kleber and immediate dap with Garnett upon landing. It legitimately joined some of the most exciting Celtics moments ever, and rivals Brown’s greatest dunks.

It would’ve replayed more emphatically in victory. While the Celtics’ 95-92 loss to the Mavericks couldn’t squash Garnett day, it did hamper Brown’s highlight moments. He finished 6-for-16 with 14 points, several driving slams, 2-for-7 shooting from deep, five rebounds, four assists and three turnovers. His burst to the rim showed it’s not simply his ankle injury from two weeks ago limiting his play. The quick decisions he’s playing out of in spot ball-handling opportunities continue to lead to mistakes and inefficient shooting nights.

Brown’s aggression initially helped a Celtics offense that occasionally needs to kick the lid off the rim. That hasn’t been the case since the trade deadline while Boston rose to No. 6 in offense (117.3 points per 100) over that stretch. Recently, he’s the inconsistent missing link where teammates have slid into solidified roles.

“(He’s) understanding the balance that I’ve talked about all year,” Ime Udoka told CLNS Media at practice on Monday. “With him and Jayson, the natural scoring ability and understanding how guys are guarding them. You saw it last night, they took it out of Jayson’s hands every time and (Brown) has to be extra aggressive in those cases. He’s obviously a high-level scorer, and if they dare to blitz off him, we ask him to make the right play; whether that’s scoring or making the right pass, and so at times it’s not always going to be as smooth as him just going to the basket to score, but he’s capable of it. He’s shown improvement in that area. His scoring is needed, especially on nights where they’re trying to take Jayson out of it.”

Brown described overthinking afflicting his decisions on the ball during his stint at point forward earlier in the season. As he misses free throws (67.6%), threes (27.3%) and returns to picking up his dribble in the lane and throwing away awkward escape passes in no particular direction, he may be doing it again.

Brown had primary playmaking responsibilities with Boston’s offense revolved around him early in the Celtics 48-point win in Philadelphia. Udoka called plays for him early, then used him as a diversion to get Jayson Tatum going. Since then, Brown’s a catch-and-shooter, momentary bench lead guard and trying to jam himself through low-post traffic.

The aggression is welcomed, and he’s averaging nearly five free throw attempts per game. The question becomes how Ime Udoka can utilize Brown in a role more conducive to reliable outcomes like how Tatum has established himself as a playmaker. Can Brown screen, catch and roll more off of Tatum? Could Derrick White dig into Brown’s second unit ball time? The Brown-White bench duo posted a 50 offensive rating in their nine minutes against Dallas, Brown getting roughly 18 more touches per game than White.

Brown’s doing a good job drawing up defenses in dribble drives and dumping off passes to cutting bigs. That’s largely been his bread-and-butter in terms of racking up assists. He has those games, recently recording eight assists in Boston’s loss to Indiana.

The live ball turnovers undercut that offensive production, and some of his misses might as well be turnovers. While the Celtics piled up stops and held the Mavericks to 36% shooting in the first half, Brown drove into two blocks and gave away the ball to Josh Green for a layup.

Missed threes carry heavy weight in Brown’s production, and a 34% season from deep should revert close to his 37% career three-point shooting at some point. His overall efficiency fell from 47% in his career to 45.9%, while his assist numbers fall in line with last year’s and his turnovers rose above last year’s total. He even spent some time early this season with more turnovers than assists.

The Celtics may not survive his slumps against great defenses like Dallas’, Boston shooting 24.3% from deep and receiving 15 total points from the bench. Robert Williams III helped on put backs and Al Horford shot 6-for-10 with 17 points, on the high-end of his scoring contributions.

Marcus Smart stepped up through an uneven Brown game too, scoring 17 points. Smart thought looked uncomfortable taking two crunch time shots late in the clock.  One instance was the overturned foul call on a late 3 that would have tied that game.

Tatum continues to involve Brown in actions, though largely drive-and-kick motions. Brown’s sharp up-fake provides good leverage against hard closeouts that probably have hurt his shooting. He’s keeping the ball moving, but the faster-paced style in the half court surprisingly seems to be challenging a player who thrives in the fast break.

The key difference between those two situations comes in the amount of traffic that needs to be navigated to reach the basket.  Brown’s losing his dribble and needs to bail out of his action on some plays.

That’s what this comes down to. Injuries likely limited the amount of skill work Brown could partake in over the past calendar year. He’s not having a bad season, but for a player who perennially took leaps his numbers have taken a step back. His defensive mistakes, too, in key spots have cost the Celtics this season.

Boston can shift Brown’s role and have Tatum playing more off of him, which Udoka has successfully implemented in crunch time. Much of Brown’s improvement will come internally though. Cleaning up the handle. Continuing to work on his vision. There’s also probably some value to leaning into his comfortable scoring role. Allowing him to size up opponents with some leeway to dribble extra when needed.

The Celtics will take points, and even if Brown’s not shooting over 50% many nights like we became accustomed to in past years, he’s keeping the pressure on the defense.

“It’s just that balance,” Udoka said. “(Brown and Tatum) have both improved tremendously in that area. It’s going to be a constant improvement throughout the year, but you see the results. I think all of our team is seeing the way we’re playing, unselfishly, and then everyone enjoys everybody’s success, so Jaylen’s a big piece of that and his growth has been great throughout the year.”