Boston Celtics fourth-year shooting guard Jaylen Brown has been named the final East Player of the Week for 2019, his first such honor in his career.
Brown, whose extraordinary play of late has driven home the wisdom of Celtics president Danny Ainge extending the Georgian wing ahead of the 2019-20 NBA season’s start, has been instrumental in Boston winning five of its last six games.
Over the three games which took place in the week he is being honored, the Cal-Berkeley product recorded 27 points per game on 62.2 % shooting (including 57.9 % from deep), showing off his chops as one of the league’s most efficient high-usage players in recent weeks.
The Marietta native has forced reassessment from his critics, who panned the former No. 3 pick’s $107-million, four-year extension as overly-generous at the time.
Now, with the likes of NBA-champion color commentator Richard Jefferson praising the deal as a bargain, the former Golden Bear is helping push the narrative Boston ought to have three players — including Brown of course — in the 2020 NBA All-Star game.
While it’s too early to say how the 3-year-old’s All-Star campaign may go with third-year swingman Jayson Tatum and All-NBA point guard Kemba Walker also potential All-Stars, honors like this one should boost Brown’s candidacy among voters, if nothing else.
