Boston Celtics star wing Jaylen Brown finds himself among elite company, within striking distance of the NBA’s handful of superstars with a No. 22 ranking in the annual ESPN’s NBA Rank series.
With five teammates (Grant Williams, Malcolm Brogdon, Al Horford, Robert Williams III and Marcus Smart) already listed within the 100-26 spots announced earlier in the week, Brown’s presence at No. 22 leaves only one Celtic starter not accounted for with only the top 10 remaining to be released.
But before we get ahead of ourselves, let’s take a look at what got the Georgia native five slots higher than last season.
Since the 1949-50 season, only one Boston Celtics rookie has led the league in scoring https://t.co/opqvC0uijx
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) September 21, 2022
“Brown has yet to make an All-NBA team in his career,” writes ESPN’s Tim Bontemps.
“But if the Celtics can follow through on preseason expectations and finish the season with the best record in the East, Brown will all but certainly get the credit of both being in the All-NBA conversation and moving up these rankings.”
For a player who was the Celtics’ best for much of the 2022 NBA Finals, that is a very reasonable assessment.
Every player in Boston Celtics history who wore No. 16 https://t.co/vJMEt3Ijih
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) September 21, 2022
“Can Brown improve as a playmaker and ball handler?” asks the ESPN analyst.
“That’s been something coach Ime Udoka has stressed both he and Jayson Tatum need to do since Udoka arrived last summer. But over the final three rounds of the playoffs, Brown averaged more than three turnovers per game against the Milwaukee Bucks, Heat, and Golden State Warriors.”
“For Boston to take that final step toward a championship, Brown needs to have to improve in those moments,” adds Bontemps.
It is currently unclear whether the news regarding Timelord’s surgery and looming recuperation is connected to the Celtics moving on from Caboclo. https://t.co/Wwb3afwq7t
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) September 21, 2022
We’ve seen some hints that the former Cal-Berkeley player is doing exactly that in the offseason, his handle — while still a little loose — looking less so.
But it only matters if his handle is tighter and passes more capable in games that count — and we don’t have to wait too much longer to find out with the regular season kicking off next month.
The LSU product recently linked up with the host of NBC Sports Boston’s “Celtics Talk” podcast Chris Forsberg to talk about his time with the Celtics, his ties to other Boston alu… https://t.co/t6xfIch5wI
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) September 21, 2022
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