Jaylen Brown has played much better since he's been placed on the bench. But the third-year forward is still struggling to adjust to his new role.
In a wide-ranging interview with ESPN's Jackie MacMullan, Brown expounds on his early season woes. After a breakout sophomore campaign, Brown was one of the worst players in the league over the first 20 games of the year, in which the Celtics went 10-10. He was shooting just 25.3 percent on three-point shots, ranking him 122nd out of 123 players. Last season, Brown was 37th in three-point field goal percentage.
When Brown was on the court, the Celtics were also the worst offensive team in the league, averaging 100.4 points per contest. Defensively, his analytics have slipped, too, though Brad Stevens tells MacMullan Brown has been tasked with guarding a wide array of players this season.
Recently, the 2016 first-round pick lost his starting job to scrappy guard Marcus Smart, who's taken it upon himself to chastise Brown during games and at practice. The Celtics have won six straight games with Smart in the lineup.
Brown was pegged for superstardom entering this season, bragging about his ambitious championship goals and gracing magazine covers. He blossomed in the playoffs, becoming the youngest Celtics player to ever score 30 points in a postseason contest. Overall, Brown averaged 18 points per game in the playoffs, while playing lockdown defense.
Brown has played better over the last three games, averaging 21 points and five rebounds. His 21-point effort last Thursday against the Knicks, who embarrassed the Celtics on their home court before Thanksgiving, may have been his best outing of the season.
Read Jackie MacMullan's full piece here. It is more than worth your time.