Jaylen Brown’s performance in Game 7 of last season’s Eastern Conference Finals – which included eight turnovers – marked one of the worst of his career. And as the Celtics star processed another season-ending loss, he said he had a choice to make.
“People could go one of two ways and for me, like, you see a lot of people when things don’t go their way or if they lose or make a mistake, you get embarrassed, it could be like a spirit breaker,” Brown said after Thursday’s win over the Suns. “Ain’t nothing in this world that’s gonna break my spirit, so for me, it was only one way I could go and that was just to improve. That was just to get better, look (at) yourself in the mirror, take whatever it is on the chin.”
Brown, of course, went on to earn a record-breaking $300 million extension by virtue of his first career All-NBA selection. He certainly didn’t rest on his laurels, though. He has responded this season by playing what he believes is the best basketball of his career.
But a year after that All-NBA selection, it may be difficult for Brown to repeat on that list. His scoring numbers are down – which is not an indictment on his play but may influence voting – and while All-NBA teams have now gone positionless and there is a 65-game minimum for selection under the new CBA, he faces very stiff competition for a spot.
Still, there’s conclusive evidence that Brown is playing much better basketball than last season. He has been more efficient offensively – shooting a career-high 50.2 percent from the floor – and reading the game as a playmaker better than ever, shown by his career-high 3.7 assists per game. He’s doing all that while defending the opponent’s best player on a nightly basis as he plays the best defense of his career. Brown has started his own All-Defensive team campaign as everything has clicked for him in Year 8.
“To have an arsenal on the defensive end of the side of the basketball doesn’t get enough praise,” Brown said. “Because it’s a skill-set, being able to guard guys, being able to chase guys, being able to anticipate passing lanes, switch on the bigs, chase guys off screens, shooters. Whatever it is, I pride myself on being able to be versatile, because everybody can’t do that. … This year I feel like I’ve been having a really good year on that side of the ball. …
“I just feel like I’ve improved in a lot of stuff that I needed to work on. Just overall, just improve my mentality, but just attack my weaknesses. I feel like some of the stuff that you could say about me last year, you can’t say about me this year.”
Even if it doesn’t land him on an All-NBA team again, it’s clearly made an impact as Brown’s play has helped push Boston to the league’s best record and the championship favorite. For Brown, the motivation was simple.
“A loss. When you lose, when you come up short on your home floor when things don’t go your way,” Brown said. “It’s a quote that I like: ‘When things don’t go your way, when you don’t get what you want, what you got was experience.’ I love that quote. I think we’ve had losses, we’ve had embarrassments. We’ve had mistakes. But I’ve used it all to just improve.”
Your cousin from Boston
Derrick White has become a fan favorite in two-plus years in Boston, so it only seemed right when he was featured in the latest Sam Adams commercial last week in the beer company’s popular “Your Cousin From Boston” series. In the ad, the Celtics guard depicts a “typical” Boston native – complete with a wardrobe that included a flannel shirt, heavy jacket and boots – and he tried his best Boston accent.
“It was a lot of fun,” White said of doing the commercial. “There were some good people on the set and it was a lot of fun. A lot of stuff that I didn’t know about Boston, and I really enjoyed it.”
Like what?
“You know when I’m like, ‘I don’t know what that means?’ I really did not know what that meant until that day,” White said. “And then even my outfit, I didn’t know that was a typical Boston outfit.”
White said they let him keep the jacket.
“That Carhartt was nice,” he said. “That was clutch.”
The fact that White was featured in the ad reinforced how much he’s been embraced in Boston, and the Celtics guard has certainly felt the love.
“It’s definitely amazing,” White said. “I love it here. I’m really just thankful and grateful that we get a lot of love from the fans here. We’ve got the best fans, so it’s amazing. Even on the road, it’s great to go on the court and just everybody cheering for you. So I’m thankful, and I love it.”
Injury report
Kristaps Porzingis will miss his fifth consecutive game on Sunday against the Wizards with a right hamstring strain. Porzingis is still progressing well – he worked out on the court prior to Thursday’s game, and then did some more on-court work at Friday’s practice – but it’s likely the Celtics are being extra cautious with their big man, knowing they have a significant cushion in the standings.
White will also miss Sunday’s game due to a left hand sprain. Brown (right ankle sprain) and Jayson Tatum (right ankle impingement) are both questionable.
