What can Brown do for Team USA? Just about everything

[CelticsElite]

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/27577273/what-brown-do-team-usa-just-everything

Back in July when Jerry Colangelo and Gregg Popovich started to realize just what sort of challenge they had in assembling a Team USA roster after a string of withdrawals, Jaylen Brown got an invitation to training camp with no promise that he'd make the final World Cup roster.

Now deep into this run in China, it's hard to imagine Brown not being a part of the team. He's ended up filling a badly needed multipurpose role and been a savior of sorts of the last week when his Boston Celtics teammate Jayson Tatum went down with an ankle injury.

"I feel like I'm not a position player, I'm a basketball player. 4-3-2, whatever coach needs me to do, I will make the adjustment," Brown said. "Obviously with Jayson out, there's a little more opportunity and maybe it was a little more visible. But every time I take the floor, I want to be aggressive."

Brown had 11 points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals in eliminating the Brazilians and helping set up the U.S. with a top seed going into Wednesday's quarterfinals against France (ESPNews, ESPN+, 7 a.m. ET). Over the past three games he's averaging 13 points and 6.3 rebounds on 51 percent shooting.

But those raw numbers aren't really illustrative of his contribution. Seeing his versatility on defense, how Popovich can use him on a variety of different players combined with the energy he brings when he comes off the bench tells a more complete picture. Simply, he's just been making plays all over the floor and he just stands out.

"Well he's a strong player," Popovich said. "For his size and strength he moves well, and he will penetrate. He can catch and pull it. Get to the rim. And he's unselfish and finding other people. He's just kind of an all-around player. He has stepped in and given us good minutes at both ends of the floor for sure."

Popovich rejects single-game plus/minus as a reliable statistic and that's fine. Everything on Team USA has sample size issues. But in this case, mentioning that the Americans have outscored their opponents by 34 points over the past three games with Brown on the floor feels fairly relevant.


Putting the data aside, there's also a certain toughness that Brown brings. This has been in his profile since he was at Cal and certainly has shown up in Boston. It was not a random happenstance that it was Brown who got into the face of Giannis and Thanasis Antetokounmpo last weekend after a perceived cheap shot foul.

Brown was one of the few Celtics who wasn't afraid to push back against Kyrie Irving last season when the former Boston point guard took some shots at the younger players on the roster. Brown is sometimes quiet, but he's not meek. That attitude has been positive this summer.

"Chemistry is built when you hit adversity together and you've got to push through it," Brown said. "We've been challenged multiple times on this trip. We started Aug. 4 and now it's Sept. 10. We've seen a lot together."

[mmmmm]

Jaylen has been tasked by Pop to do a wide variety of things for him and he seems to have risen to the challenge.

I don't want to compare Jaylen to Kawhi -- because we are still a million miles away from that comparison.   But I see a similarity to the way Pop made use of Kawhi back when he got the latter as a young player.   Pop had defined roles for his star veterans (Duncan, Parker, Manu) and deployed the versatile Kawhi into a wide variety of roles as needed to fill the gaps.

[Fierce1]

Jaylen has been tasked by Pop to do a wide variety of things for him and he seems to have risen to the challenge.

I don't want to compare Jaylen to Kawhi -- because we are still a million miles away from that comparison.   But I see a similarity to the way Pop made use of Kawhi back when he got the latter as a young player.   Pop had defined roles for his star veterans (Duncan, Parker, Manu) and deployed the versatile Kawhi into a wide variety of roles as needed to fill the gaps.

What Pop has done is use Brown as a 4 or 5.

That way Brown doesn't have to dribble a lot or make a lot of moves.

Coach Brad didn't use Brown as a 4 or 5.

In college Brown was a power player, playing like a PF at the SF position.

But in the NBA, Brad tried to convert Brown into a SG.

I think Brown's natural position is SF or PF.

The question is can Brown be an effective 4 or 5 in the NBA?

[DefenseWinsChamps]

Jaylen has been tasked by Pop to do a wide variety of things for him and he seems to have risen to the challenge.

I don't want to compare Jaylen to Kawhi -- because we are still a million miles away from that comparison.   But I see a similarity to the way Pop made use of Kawhi back when he got the latter as a young player.   Pop had defined roles for his star veterans (Duncan, Parker, Manu) and deployed the versatile Kawhi into a wide variety of roles as needed to fill the gaps.

What Pop has done is use Brown as a 4 or 5.

That way Brown doesn't have to dribble a lot or make a lot of moves.

Coach Brad didn't use Brown as a 4 or 5.

In college Brown was a power player, playing like a PF at the SF position.

But in the NBA, Brad tried to convert Brown into a SG.

I think Brown's natural position is SF or PF.

The question is can Brown be an effective 4 or 5 in the NBA?

The article goes out of their way to say Brown has played the 5. I guess that's kinda' true, but he is only getting minutes with Barnes, who normally guards the opposing big. He has also played the high post a bit, but that's a place he is pretty comfortable.

Your narrative that he doesn't take a lot of dribbles is a bit tired. Anyone whose not a primary guard doesn't dribble much. Still, he has shown in FIBA play that he can take a few dribbles, or lead the fast break and distribute to teammates for layups or threes.

[Fierce1]

Jaylen has been tasked by Pop to do a wide variety of things for him and he seems to have risen to the challenge.

I don't want to compare Jaylen to Kawhi -- because we are still a million miles away from that comparison.   But I see a similarity to the way Pop made use of Kawhi back when he got the latter as a young player.   Pop had defined roles for his star veterans (Duncan, Parker, Manu) and deployed the versatile Kawhi into a wide variety of roles as needed to fill the gaps.

What Pop has done is use Brown as a 4 or 5.

That way Brown doesn't have to dribble a lot or make a lot of moves.

Coach Brad didn't use Brown as a 4 or 5.

In college Brown was a power player, playing like a PF at the SF position.

But in the NBA, Brad tried to convert Brown into a SG.

I think Brown's natural position is SF or PF.

The question is can Brown be an effective 4 or 5 in the NBA?

The article goes out of their way to say Brown has played the 5. I guess that's kinda' true, but he is only getting minutes with Barnes, who normally guards the opposing big. He has also played the high post a bit, but that's a place he is pretty comfortable.

Your narrative that he doesn't take a lot of dribbles is a bit tired. Anyone whose not a primary guard doesn't dribble much. Still, he has shown in FIBA play that he can take a few dribbles, or lead the fast break and distribute to teammates for layups or threes.

Last season Brown was one of those who tried to play hero ball, playing 1 on 1 basketball a lot of times.
That's why he lost his starting job to Smart.

Brown also rarely played in the last 5 minutes of the game.

Brad usually went with Kyrie, Smart, Tatum, Morris, and Horford during crunch time.

In the first 2 games of FIBA play, Brown was playing as a wing player.
When Tatum went down, that's when Brown started to play a lot of 4.
During those first 2 games as a wing, Brown wasn't effective because when he tried to play 1 on 1 and had to dribble more, he usually ended up going nowhere.

[Celtics4ever]

The question is can Brown be an effective 4 or 5 in the NBA?

As a five no way, as a four possible.   But he is not an elite rebounder.  Too bad he won't grow to be as tall as his father.

[DefenseWinsChamps]

Last season Brown was one of those who tried to play hero ball, playing 1 on 1 basketball a lot of times.
That's why he lost his starting job to Smart.

Brown also rarely played in the last 5 minutes of the game.

Brad usually went with Kyrie, Smart, Tatum, Morris, and Horford during crunch time.

In the first 2 games of FIBA play, Brown was playing as a wing player.
When Tatum went down, that's when Brown started to play a lot of 4.
During those first 2 games as a wing, Brown wasn't effective because when he tried to play 1 on 1 and had to dribble more, he usually ended up going nowhere.

I can't and won't respond to all of what you continually say about Brown, but the vast majority of it is just patently false.

Brown was not benched because he was going one-on-one too much. Give me a stat, or a clip that proves that. It was a system thing. Hayward was not benched for going one-on-one too much either. Stevens was looking for guys who played well together. Brown was struggling to shoot well. Admittedly, all those guys were taking bad shots at times, but its not like that was especially true of Brown.

Brown did play in the 5 minutes of the game, but it depended on matchups. He wasn't always in there, but he was some.

In the scrimmages before the first two games, Brown was one of the most impressive players playing on the wing. Go look at the highlights. Watch the scrimmages. He's been really good for team USA in practices, scrimmages, and these last three games. The first two regular games he struggled, but that had nothing to do with playing a certain position, because he was playing that same position against Australia for those two scrimmages, and inter-squad practices and scrimmages.

[mmmmm]

Last season Brown was one of those who tried to play hero ball, playing 1 on 1 basketball a lot of times.
That's why he lost his starting job to Smart.

This is blatantly false.   Brown was injured when on a dunk his legs were swept and he landed on his back, injuring his lower back.   He missed several games, during which Smart took his spot in the starting lineup.   Smart (and Morris, who had previously joined the starters when Hayward agreed to go to the bench) at the time were shooting very well at the time and we got on a little hot streak so Brad stayed with it.

Jaylen, prior to the lower back injury, had already started shooting much more efficiently (his hand injury had healed and he changed his shot profile to be more focused at the rim) several games before that.  He continued on that trend even after the transition to the bench and then when he rejoined the starters at the end of the year and in the playoffs.

[Somebody]

Last season Brown was one of those who tried to play hero ball, playing 1 on 1 basketball a lot of times.
That's why he lost his starting job to Smart.

Brown also rarely played in the last 5 minutes of the game.

Brad usually went with Kyrie, Smart, Tatum, Morris, and Horford during crunch time.

In the first 2 games of FIBA play, Brown was playing as a wing player.
When Tatum went down, that's when Brown started to play a lot of 4.
During those first 2 games as a wing, Brown wasn't effective because when he tried to play 1 on 1 and had to dribble more, he usually ended up going nowhere.

That's on Brad Stevens himself. I still remember a number of games where Jaylen got yanked from the game after lighting the court on fire in the first couple of quarters, and got put back in after his flow was abruptly cut short. Your criticism of Brown is grossly exaggerated imo.

[dannyboy35]

I love Brown’s combo of quickness and size on the defensive end. As great as smart’s defensive instincts are, Brown is gifted with these two things. He has the tools( IMO) to be one of the best in the league at defending wings in the game in the nba.

[gpap]

What can Brown do for you?

[IDreamCeltics]

Last season Brown was one of those who tried to play hero ball, playing 1 on 1 basketball a lot of times.
That's why he lost his starting job to Smart.

Brown also rarely played in the last 5 minutes of the game.

Brad usually went with Kyrie, Smart, Tatum, Morris, and Horford during crunch time.

In the first 2 games of FIBA play, Brown was playing as a wing player.
When Tatum went down, that's when Brown started to play a lot of 4.
During those first 2 games as a wing, Brown wasn't effective because when he tried to play 1 on 1 and had to dribble more, he usually ended up going nowhere.

That's on Brad Stevens himself. I still remember a number of games where Jaylen got yanked from the game after lighting the court on fire in the first couple of quarters, and got put back in after his flow was abruptly cut short. Your criticism of Brown is grossly exaggerated imo.

I mean... Don't you think it's weird Greg Popovich has used him more at small ball 4 (his college position) in 3 weeks than Brad Stevens has in 3 years?...

[Fierce1]

Last season Brown was one of those who tried to play hero ball, playing 1 on 1 basketball a lot of times.
That's why he lost his starting job to Smart.

Brown also rarely played in the last 5 minutes of the game.

Brad usually went with Kyrie, Smart, Tatum, Morris, and Horford during crunch time.

In the first 2 games of FIBA play, Brown was playing as a wing player.
When Tatum went down, that's when Brown started to play a lot of 4.
During those first 2 games as a wing, Brown wasn't effective because when he tried to play 1 on 1 and had to dribble more, he usually ended up going nowhere.

I can't and won't respond to all of what you continually say about Brown, but the vast majority of it is just patently false.

Brown was not benched because he was going one-on-one too much. Give me a stat, or a clip that proves that. It was a system thing. Hayward was not benched for going one-on-one too much either. Stevens was looking for guys who played well together. Brown was struggling to shoot well. Admittedly, all those guys were taking bad shots at times, but its not like that was especially true of Brown.

Brown did play in the 5 minutes of the game, but it depended on matchups. He wasn't always in there, but he was some.

In the scrimmages before the first two games, Brown was one of the most impressive players playing on the wing. Go look at the highlights. Watch the scrimmages. He's been really good for team USA in practices, scrimmages, and these last three games. The first two regular games he struggled, but that had nothing to do with playing a certain position, because he was playing that same position against Australia for those two scrimmages, and inter-squad practices and scrimmages.

Do the Boston Celtics Have a Jaylen Brown Problem?
DAN FAVALE
NOVEMBER 29, 2018
https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2808307-do-the-boston-celtics-have-a-jaylen-brown-problem

That article was from last season.

[Fierce1]

Last season Brown was one of those who tried to play hero ball, playing 1 on 1 basketball a lot of times.
That's why he lost his starting job to Smart.

Brown also rarely played in the last 5 minutes of the game.

Brad usually went with Kyrie, Smart, Tatum, Morris, and Horford during crunch time.

In the first 2 games of FIBA play, Brown was playing as a wing player.
When Tatum went down, that's when Brown started to play a lot of 4.
During those first 2 games as a wing, Brown wasn't effective because when he tried to play 1 on 1 and had to dribble more, he usually ended up going nowhere.

That's on Brad Stevens himself. I still remember a number of games where Jaylen got yanked from the game after lighting the court on fire in the first couple of quarters, and got put back in after his flow was abruptly cut short. Your criticism of Brown is grossly exaggerated imo.

I mean... Don't you think it's weird Greg Popovich has used him more at small ball 4 (his college position) in 3 weeks than Brad Stevens has in 3 years?...

That's because international players are weaker compared to NBA players.

Brown can dominate the international 4s, but I don't think Brown can defend Horford or Kevin Love in the low post.

[Fierce1]

Last season Brown was one of those who tried to play hero ball, playing 1 on 1 basketball a lot of times.
That's why he lost his starting job to Smart.

Brown also rarely played in the last 5 minutes of the game.

Brad usually went with Kyrie, Smart, Tatum, Morris, and Horford during crunch time.

In the first 2 games of FIBA play, Brown was playing as a wing player.
When Tatum went down, that's when Brown started to play a lot of 4.
During those first 2 games as a wing, Brown wasn't effective because when he tried to play 1 on 1 and had to dribble more, he usually ended up going nowhere.

That's on Brad Stevens himself. I still remember a number of games where Jaylen got yanked from the game after lighting the court on fire in the first couple of quarters, and got put back in after his flow was abruptly cut short. Your criticism of Brown is grossly exaggerated imo.

That's why I keep saying Hayward is Brad's boy.

Brown got more minutes in 2017-18 when Hayward was out for the season.

When Hayward returned, that's when Brown regressed.

I think the Celts will end up choosing between Brown and Hayward.
It's just not practical to keep them both at 30m per year each.