“Maintaining the same aggression” - Jaylen Brown describes opportunistic nature, reflecting on dunks
The Boston Celtics definitely scored high in the 2016 draft by picking Jaylen Brown as the third overall pick behind Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram. Fast forward to 2023, he has become a force to deal with for opposing teams in his eighth season in the league.
In the 2023-24 season, Brown has continued to devastate the opposing team's defenses, averaging 21.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.1 steals per game. The numbers may be down but the team is deeper with more scorers, defenders, and ball-handlers.
Still, one of the team's best finishers, the former California Golden Bear tries to balance being a scorer and at the same time, create chances for his teammates. Knowing when to get aggressive and when to hold back has been key for him to finish his baskets.
"Just being aggressive. When to be aggressive, when to read the right plays, when to get my guys going but definitely everytime I have the opportunity, I see a lane and I know it's a time for me to be aggressive, I'll take it," said Brown (via NBA).
Knowing when to attack and when to make the pass has been Jaylen Brown's go-to move and it has worked for him so far
"It has led to highlights but I'm looking forward to, one, continue to finish plays like that but also make the right reads, know when to make the right plays, keeping the turnovers down and also maintaining the same aggression," Brown added.
Jaylen Brown is still getting used to his new teammates 16 games into the 2023-24 season
The Boston Celtics are on top of the NBA Eastern Conference standings with a 13-4 record. Despite the success that they have had, Jaylen Brown pointed out that the players have not yet reached the ceiling of their chemistry.
During the offseason, the Celtics were able to add Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday to address depth, additional scoring, interior defense, and ball handling. Even after winning 13 out of 17 games, Jaylen Brown feels they could do more with the improved roster. He said (via Sports Illustrated):
"And however many games, 15, 16 games in, we still are figuring it out, but we've been winning and figuring it out. We've still got a lot to learn. This team is not a finished product. We've still got a lot to improve on. We still haven't played our best basketball yet, so we've got to continue to win games as we continue to get better at the same time." (timestamp- 1:55)
The Boston Celtics have a prime chance to improve their record as they have the next four games at the TD Garden. Among the opponents that they face from Nov. 28 to Dec. 14 are the Chicago Bulls, Philadelphia 76ers, and Cleveland Cavaliers twice.