Jaylen Brown looking good. Could be just what the doctor ordered

[Tr1boy]

One of the things that impresses me about Brown is how quickly he gets airborne. His max vertical isn't all that awesome but his ability to get up quickly is unusual. He can go from standing to at the rim faster than most and that talent alone will help propel his NBA career.

Dead on points....  and his ability to lift off the ground before anyone can blink is one of the key things that will help him stand out

[clover]

I like that he doesn't take shots that he can't make. He finds other ways to positively contribute right now. If he ends up playing 4 to KO's 5 on the second unit, and TR, MS and GG can all deliver reasonably from the 3 as well, nobody will miss his limited range this year.

[dreamgreen]

Honestly reading everything about his game this summer I expected a long learning curve and a lot of DNP's from him this year. After watching him play the other night I'm giddy! He's way ahead of what people were saying passing, rebounding and general feel for the game. He's going to get PT right out of the gate IMO and his upside looks amazing!

[Granath]

Honestly reading everything about his game this summer I expected a long learning curve and a lot of DNP's from him this year. After watching him play the other night I'm giddy! He's way ahead of what people were saying passing, rebounding and general feel for the game. He's going to get PT right out of the gate IMO and his upside looks amazing!

Well, be prepared for ups and downs. He may hit the rookie wall. He may start to over-think (Rozier's problem last year) and neutralize his own physical advantages. He may lose his jump shot. In fact, all of those will probably happen at one point or another this coming year. So temper your expectations. But look for flashes. Look for progression (until he hits the wall). Look for better positioning, footwork and defense.

I always expected him to contribute this year. I don't know if he'll get 10 mpg or something closer to 15-20. But either way there's going to be some major overreactions to both good and bad games. But with his work ethic and talent it's hard (outside of injuries) to see him not being a success in the league.

[Ed Hollison]

About Brown driving to the hoop... I agree with most of the posters here that I'm excited about that part of his game, too. Thinking back to the Finals, the Warriors had trouble in those last couple games because they were relegated to tough 3s. If they'd committed to, or been able to, drive to the hoop given their spacing on the perimeter, it would have totally transformed that series. It was tough for them to do that, I think, because 1) Curry and company became obsessed with shooting 3s, 2) Curry was dealing with a knee injury, and 3) Iguodala had a bum back. But anyway, the point is that driving to the hoop is going to be a very attractive commodity in the league in the coming years, simply because teams have become so adept at taking 3s and defending 3s.

The thing I wonder about Brown is whether or not teams on D will just pack the paint and wait for an inexperienced, young player to just plow through the lane and get called for charges. (By the way, the charge call is by far the worst aspect of the game if you ask me, but I digress.) In order for him to avoid this, he'll have to learn to finish with both hands around the hoop and kind of squirt by shot blockers and charge takers. The Celtics will also have to space the floor and shoot the 3 ball well, such that teams don't just pack the paint (which I understand was the problem with Brown's freshman year at Cal).

Bright future for this kid, I hope he keeps it up.

[Snakehead]

I gotta be at the head of the Jaylen Brown train at this point. 

Glad to see people not so down on him to suggest he won't even play.  I have never understood that thinking given what we have seen of him and what he brings that the team needs.

[mmmmm]

Tell me that you saw JB's fadeaway jumper on the baseline last night and that he still cannot shoot. The eye test tells me that he's talented, very athletic, runs the floor, drives to the basket, and plays defense. He will need to show consistency and at 19, it's expected that he will go through shooting droughts. The potential is there though, and he's already hit a couple of tightly contested difficult shots.

If his shooting never takes off to where we want it, I don't see why he can't be a Jimmy Butler/Andre Iguodola type player for the Celtics. A super glue guy that could be the 3rd best player on a championship team. He can change the mood in the Garden with a thunderous dunk at the right time. He's going to draw a lot of fouls, so he's going to get his practice in shooting free throws.

I want to hear from someone that has watched him play and concluded that he won't be a competent shooter in the NBA.

I have to say, when I saw that midrange jumper It almost got me out of my chair from excitement.  Not just because he made the jumper, but because it just looked so smooth and natural.

Even his defense looked so much better then it did in SL - much more active with the hands and the feet. 

I swear the more I watch Brown the more he reminds me of Dominique Wilkins.  That's mostly because he's not really the "finesse" type of athlete who will try to dance around you (e.g. MJ, Dr J)...he's much more of the "power" type of athlete (e.g. Wilkins/Kemp) who will just explode to the basket, and will throw it down as hard as he can right on top of the face of any defender who dares get in his way.

He has that fearless "get out of my way or suffer the consequences" aggressiveness about him, which I absolutely love. 

If he can consistently combine that power/explosiveness with the type of fadeaway jumper he flashed yesteday, he'll be amazing.

I keep trying to figure out why Brown doesn't appear to have an "electric" explosive body like the other guys mentioned.  I mean, Brown is absolutely blowing by people and dunking but his body doesn't appear nearly as charismatic as those other guys for some reason.  And it's not just because those guys became superstars; guys like Kedrick Brown, Gerald Green, and Tony Allen just had body language that made them appear far more explosive and athletic than Jaylen Brown.  I'm not complaining because Brown is blowing by everyone and getting to the rim, I'm just trying to figure out why I'm seeing what I'm seeing.

?? ... not really sure what you aren't seeing.

[Clench123]

Hmmm...ok, maybe I'm wrong about this dude, but only time will tell.

[moiso]

One of the things that impresses me about Brown is how quickly he gets airborne. His max vertical isn't all that awesome but his ability to get up quickly is unusual. He can go from standing to at the rim faster than most and that talent alone will help propel his NBA career.

Yes, this is true.  He caught the ball under the rim the other day and was instantly up at rim level putting the ball through the hoop.  It looked so easy for him.

[The One]

About Brown driving to the hoop... I agree with most of the posters here that I'm excited about that part of his game, too. Thinking back to the Finals, the Warriors had trouble in those last couple games because they were relegated to tough 3s. If they'd committed to, or been able to, drive to the hoop given their spacing on the perimeter, it would have totally transformed that series. It was tough for them to do that, I think, because 1) Curry and company became obsessed with shooting 3s, 2) Curry was dealing with a knee injury, and 3) Iguodala had a bum back. But anyway, the point is that driving to the hoop is going to be a very attractive commodity in the league in the coming years, simply because teams have become so adept at taking 3s and defending 3s.

The thing I wonder about Brown is whether or not teams on D will just pack the paint and wait for an inexperienced, young player to just plow through the lane and get called for charges. (By the way, the charge call is by far the worst aspect of the game if you ask me, but I digress.) In order for him to avoid this, he'll have to learn to finish with both hands around the hoop and kind of squirt by shot blockers and charge takers. The Celtics will also have to space the floor and shoot the 3 ball well, such that teams don't just pack the paint (which I understand was the problem with Brown's freshman year at Cal).

Bright future for this kid, I hope he keeps it up.

I think he's with a great organization, great teammates, great GM, and a great coach.  This will help immensely in his development.

[green_bballers13]

Tell me that you saw JB's fadeaway jumper on the baseline last night and that he still cannot shoot. The eye test tells me that he's talented, very athletic, runs the floor, drives to the basket, and plays defense. He will need to show consistency and at 19, it's expected that he will go through shooting droughts. The potential is there though, and he's already hit a couple of tightly contested difficult shots.

If his shooting never takes off to where we want it, I don't see why he can't be a Jimmy Butler/Andre Iguodola type player for the Celtics. A super glue guy that could be the 3rd best player on a championship team. He can change the mood in the Garden with a thunderous dunk at the right time. He's going to draw a lot of fouls, so he's going to get his practice in shooting free throws.

I want to hear from someone that has watched him play and concluded that he won't be a competent shooter in the NBA.

I have to say, when I saw that midrange jumper It almost got me out of my chair from excitement.  Not just because he made the jumper, but because it just looked so smooth and natural.

Even his defense looked so much better then it did in SL - much more active with the hands and the feet. 

I swear the more I watch Brown the more he reminds me of Dominique Wilkins.  That's mostly because he's not really the "finesse" type of athlete who will try to dance around you (e.g. MJ, Dr J)...he's much more of the "power" type of athlete (e.g. Wilkins/Kemp) who will just explode to the basket, and will throw it down as hard as he can right on top of the face of any defender who dares get in his way.

He has that fearless "get out of my way or suffer the consequences" aggressiveness about him, which I absolutely love. 

If he can consistently combine that power/explosiveness with the type of fadeaway jumper he flashed yesteday, he'll be amazing.

I keep trying to figure out why Brown doesn't appear to have an "electric" explosive body like the other guys mentioned.  I mean, Brown is absolutely blowing by people and dunking but his body doesn't appear nearly as charismatic as those other guys for some reason.  And it's not just because those guys became superstars; guys like Kedrick Brown, Gerald Green, and Tony Allen just had body language that made them appear far more explosive and athletic than Jaylen Brown.  I'm not complaining because Brown is blowing by everyone and getting to the rim, I'm just trying to figure out why I'm seeing what I'm seeing.

?? ... not really sure what you aren't seeing.

Yeah I don't get the comment that he's not as electric as Gerald Green or Tony Allen. I have the exact opposite conclusion after watching him. JB looks like the most explosive player that the Celtics have had since Rondo. My eyes tell me that he is all electricity.

I'm still surprised that the haters haven't crawled out from beneath their rocks. After the draft, I felt like this Board was full of the same fans that criticized NY for taking Porzingis. Without fully watching the guy play, people were criticizing JB b/c they read on some blog somewhere that he couldn't shoot. Or that he was "too smart" for the game. Or some other ridiculousness. They preferred a pg in Dunn who is not a great shooter that had more years to hone his craft.

Where are the anti JB people? Are they waiting to pounce once he has a bad shooting game?

[mmmmm]

Where are the anti JB people? Are they waiting to pounce once he has a bad shooting game?

LOL - Not your first day on an internet sports blog, obviously!

[Granath]

Yeah I don't get the comment that he's not as electric as Gerald Green or Tony Allen. I have the exact opposite conclusion after watching him. JB looks like the most explosive player that the Celtics have had since Rondo. My eyes tell me that he is all electricity.

I'm still surprised that the haters haven't crawled out from beneath their rocks. After the draft, I felt like this Board was full of the same fans that criticized NY for taking Porzingis. Without fully watching the guy play, people were criticizing JB b/c they read on some blog somewhere that he couldn't shoot. Or that he was "too smart" for the game. Or some other ridiculousness. They preferred a pg in Dunn who is not a great shooter that had more years to hone his craft.

Where are the anti JB people? Are they waiting to pounce once he has a bad shooting game?

Yep. It's funny how DumbBo and Co. go into hiding when the news is positive.

[alldaboston]

Yeah I don't get the comment that he's not as electric as Gerald Green or Tony Allen. I have the exact opposite conclusion after watching him. JB looks like the most explosive player that the Celtics have had since Rondo. My eyes tell me that he is all electricity.

I'm still surprised that the haters haven't crawled out from beneath their rocks. After the draft, I felt like this Board was full of the same fans that criticized NY for taking Porzingis. Without fully watching the guy play, people were criticizing JB b/c they read on some blog somewhere that he couldn't shoot. Or that he was "too smart" for the game. Or some other ridiculousness. They preferred a pg in Dunn who is not a great shooter that had more years to hone his craft.

Where are the anti JB people? Are they waiting to pounce once he has a bad shooting game?

Yep. It's funny how DumbBo and Co. go into hiding when the news is positive.

i was gonna say, where has CoachBo been? hope all is well with him and his family, but i also hope he's not just in hiding now that everything is looking good with jaylen, yabu, and zizic, as well as the rest of the team.

[MJohnnyboy]

Hmmm...ok, maybe I'm wrong about this dude, but only time will tell.

Welcome to Lala land.