Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics responds to a ‘corny’ ESPN graphic depicting a two-game stat
Despite a recent setback to the Indiana Pacers, Jaylen Brown and the Boston Celtics have had a solid start to the 2023-24 NBA season. The Celtics have the best record in the NBA right now, sitting at 15-5, and Brown has had no trouble integrating with new colleagues Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis, who is now out with a calf injury.
Recently on social media, ESPN posted a not-so-flattering graphic showing that Brown had attempted 43 shots and recorded zero assists over the last two games, including Tuesday’s In-Season Tournament loss to the Pacers. Brown then took to Instagram to fire back at the graphic.
“Y’all corny watch the game,” wrote Brown in a comment on the platform.
Jaylen Brown found himself the subject of criticism after his performance in last year’s Eastern Conference Finals loss to the Miami Heat, a series in which he was thoroughly outplayed by Heat forward Caleb Martin, and in which his issues with turnovers and a perceived lack of court vision reached a boiling point with Celtics fans.
Still, Brown’s scoring ability and the dynamic element he brings to the Celtics’ offense were enough to convince Boston to make him the highest-paid player in NBA history with a new contract this past offseason.
While he hasn’t necessarily done a ton to address concerns about his ball security or floor awareness this year, it’s still understandable that Brown would be frustrated at ESPN’s context-lacking graphic, especially considering that in order to generate an assist, a teammate has to hit the shot.
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Following the rumored deadline, three Celtics trade targets should be considered
The Boston Celtics made plenty of offseason noise by pulling off two blockbuster trades before Opening Night, and they still might not be done.
Sitting atop the Eastern Conference through 20 games played into the 2023-24 season (15-15), Boston isn’t content. Having added Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday, it was clear the front office and ownership are committed to pulling out all the stops necessary to prevent falling short yet again — a sentiment that might come into play ahead of the Feb. 8 NBA trade deadline.
“I expect the Celtics to be active in the trade market as we get closer to February, to see if they can beef up their bench rotation,” The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported on FanDuel Sportsbook’s “Run It Back.”
As far as Boston’s extended starting lineup is concerned, the depth is there.
Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla can run Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Porzingis and Holiday any given night, plus utilize Al Horford as an interchangeable starter or sixth man — just like Malcolm Brogdon was used last season. That’s not an issue.
The concern is simply supporting depth when Mazzulla needs to sit the starters for much-needed rest in critical third-to-fourth-quarter stretches.
Boston’s dead-last among all teams in the NBA in third-quarter scoring (25.3 points) and field goal percentage (42.2%). Most recently, that dragged the Celtics straight to elimination during Monday night’s NBA In-Season Tournament quarterfinal battle against the Pacers.
Shooting just 8-for-20 while also committing three turnovers, the Celtics did themselves no favors facing a team they’d previously defeated by scoring a record-flirting 155 points back on Nov. 1. Mazzulla’s squad scored 23 points to Indiana’s 37, allowing the Pacers to take an 11-point lead into the final frame.
Payton Pritchard and Dalano Banton were also a combined 0-for-6 from the field, failing to back Sam Hauser’s 15-point night.
Looking ahead, something needs to change, and with Boston’s reported premature deadline activity, here’s a trio of suitable candidates to consider:
The risk is low, the price is presumably low and the Bulls are an ideal suitor to go full yard sale mode before the deadline nears.
Chicago failed to build around co-stars DeMar DeRozan and Zach Lavine, paying the price for Lonzo Ball’s still unknown, but concerning injury status for nearly two years, which means one thing: It’s time to tank!
Drummond, 30, could provide the Celtics with good off-the-bench output as a rim-protecting boost, alleviating the interior worries raised by Porzingis’ ongoing injury history. Drummond wouldn’t have to do much to make an impact if he was just used in front-court roles.
Drummond, a four-time NBA rebounding leader, most recently in 2020, is averaging 10.5 boards per 36 minutes while also signing a two-year, $6.5 million contract with Chicago – several Boston-friendly boxes ticked.
Osman was acquired by the Spurs a little more than five months ago, but with head coach Gregg Popovich in his darkest phase, there’s no need for him to stay with contending teams in need of midseason acquisitions.
According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, the 28-year-old is “expected” to be among those available for trade from San Antonio, which might open the door for Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens to get creative and explore.
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