NBA Notebook: Jaylen Brown firmly in All-NBA field after streaky start

Jaylen Brown doesn’t care about making All-NBA. 

The Celtics star gave the diplomatic answer following his 34-point double-double over the Nets, his 13th performance in a row with over 20 points. It extended to 14 in Toronto one day later. He’s trying to get Boston back to the NBA Finals, and his patient offensive approach reflects that, but Brown never wavered in his confidence in his own abilities over the past two seasons. He's emphasized the double teams he receives and the playmaking aspirations he’s chasing, but balancing those with letting his playmaking teammates set him up led to consistent results over the past month.

“I want to get to the playoffs and show what I can do there,” Brown said. “I think I can play with the best of them, I know what my capabilities are, but my emphasis is right now on winning games.” 

Brown struggled to adapt to Joe Mazzulla’s offensive system at first, moving into an off-ball role while Jayson Tatum, Marcus Smart and Malcolm Brogdon handled the brunt of the facilitating. He screened more than ever before and his three-point shooting lagged at 33.7% through 14 games. His turnovers nearly matched his assists. 

That changed after he gave the ball away 16 times on the team’s last road trip, and he’s averaging 29.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.1 assists since, shooting 51.8% from the field, 35.2% from three and 88.7% on free throws while turning the ball over only 2.1 times each night over the past eight games. That production firmly placed him in the All-NBA picture. 

“I’ve just been careless with the ball,” Brown admitted after beating the Mavericks to begin that stretch. “Being lackadaisical and just having an emphasis on being focused throughout the duration of the game. It’s not even a matter of anything the defense is doing, it’s just me being too careless. Going forward, (I’m) just focusing on what’s in front of me. There’s been a lot going on outside of basketball.”

Brown balanced his defense of Kyrie Irving as NBPA vice president through his suspension from the Nets, his controversial tweet celebrating Irving’s return and the death of fellow Atlanta native Takeoff in early November. He admitted it impacted him on the floor. The turbulence quieted into December, with the Nets and Celtics facing off as two of the better teams in basketball in recent months last weekend, devoid of their early-season distractions. 

Brown scored 56 points against the Nets and Raptors without committing a single turnover in 79 minutes. The fast-paced, defensive style the Celtics returned to in both games suited Brown perfectly, while his free throw frequency and efficiency ticked closer to Tatum’s level, with 6.9 attempts per game. Balancing both new goals Mazzulla outlined for him, while avoiding over-dribbling that hurt Tatum early in Toronto, brought Brown’s best out. 

“(I’m) just being aggressive,” Brown said last month. “This has been kind of a different style of basketball we’re playing here with Joe, so I’m just adjusting, trying to be aggressive and also be myself at the same time ... the emphasis, for me, has been more off-ball, setting screens, being a roller, playing more off-ball.” 

Brown’s teammates didn’t say much to him through his turnovers, knowing he’d bounce back. Al Horford kept an eye out, ready to step in if necessary, but they knew the peak version of Brown comes when he stays aggressive, embraces contact and hits a wall. Marcus Smart noted Mazzulla would be more willing to interject than himself with Brown. Smart preferred to stay positive and pick him up, which became easier as the team continued to win. 

Now, Brown’s finding his own success, which seems to be motivating a defensive surge for himself and the team. He blocked four shots against Brooklyn after losing off-ball coverages earlier in the season, getting beat by explosive guards like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Ja Morant. The team’s switching style challenged Brown after focusing on matchups before, Ime Udoka noted last season. 

Both offensive and defensive turnarounds came at an important time, as Tatum started slow offensively in both games to begin the six-game road trip. The team’s defense lagged to 15th entering Wednesday, and Brown admitted their offense would impact their defensive performance occasionally.  

The team’s last three wins marked some of their best performances all season on that end, and they’ll enter Saturday’s Finals rematch tied for eighth in defensive rating (110.8 points per 100). The Celtics’ offensive rating rose to 121.7 over the past 15 games, above their historic mark for the full season (119.9). They held opponents to 103.4 per 100 over the past eight games during Brown’s minutes, and they win the minutes where he plays and Tatum sits (+43). 

“(Brown’s) playing like an all-star, he’s playing like an All-NBA guy, I really think it’s really that simple,” Brogdon said in Brooklyn. “He’s one of the best shooting guards in the NBA, so we’re relying on him to be that every night ... I thought he was locked in on both sides (against Brooklyn). I think that’s part of being great, you’ve got to play both sides of the ball, and that’s what him and J.T. do.” 

Tatum’s start positioned him in the MVP race, and he’ll make First Team All-NBA at his current pace alongside Steph Curry, Luka Doncic and some mix of Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic, Anthony Davis and Joel Embiid. The other two big men should make the second and third teams, and an influx of elite guard play and injuries to star forwards opened the door for Brown through the first quarter of the season. 

It may not be Brown's focus, but making All-NBA this year allows the Celtics to offer Brown the designated player extension, likely worth nearly $300 million over five years, starting at 35% of the cap in 2024-25 with 8% annual raises, according to Spotrac. Brown would forgo approximately $100 million if he passes up that offer and leaves the Celtics in 2024, only able to sign for four years and $184.5 million elsewhere with 5% annual raises. 

He's currently limited to a 20% raise over his 2023-24 salary as part of a four-year extension worth $165.2 million, which would fall short of that aforementioned free agent value in 2024, so making All-NBA this year is an all but certain prerequisite to the Celtics and Brown avoiding free agency. If he doesn't reach All-NBA status this season or next, the Celtics can't offer a five-year deal, worth about $248 million, until the summer of 2024. 

As tough as it is to watch Bol Bol thrive in Orlando, the Celtics avoiding the luxury tax last year looks key to managing repeater tax penalties if Brown and Tatum both become super max players. Tatum can sign a five-year, $298-million extension in 2024 if he finishes this year on an All-NBA team. 

Since Donovan Mitchell, Trae Young, Devin Booker, Tyrese Haliburton, Jrue Holiday, Morant and Gilgeous-Alexander. should all qualify as guards in a loaded class, Brown is better positioned to make All-NBA than some of the league’s other top players. Health challenges for Jimmy Butler, Kawhi Leonard, Pascal Siakam, Zion Williamson, Desmond Bane, LeBron James and Paul George provided further opportunity for Brown, whose production has out-paced DeMar DeRozan’s. 

Lauri Markkenen, Jerami Grant, Brandon Ingram, Andrew Wiggins and O.G. Anunoby provide some of the best cases to compete with Brown until others become healthy. Kristaps Porzingis and Domantas Sabonis more likely fill into the center category, and if Davis does too, that’ll open another slot for a forward on the Second Team. 

Odds are Williamson will claim that position if he plays enough, but all Brown needs to do to qualify for the supermax is place third in 2023-24. Tatum benefited from that somewhat archaic positional hierarchy when he mad first team over Embiid due to Jokic’s presence at center. He lost out on $25 million in his current contract when he missed All-NBA in 2020-21. In a somewhat crowded year for guards and centers, Brown might be a lock this year.  

That would signal to him that he’s capable of reaching that status alongside Tatum in Boston, allowing both to sign massive extensions and play through their primes as Celtics. It'll become an expensive future for ownership, making Grant Williams' future more difficult to assess this summer, but the ability to have both stars play at this level simultaneously with ownership paying significant tax is paying off in historic output through a 21-5 start. 

“We getting back to ourselves, locking in on the defensive side of things, trying to hold teams to 100 (points) or so,” Brown said in Phoenix. “Not let people get comfortable. That’s what we hung our hat on last year, and this year we got off to a slow start on defense. Offense kind of carried us, I think we’re playing a little bit balanced right now.” 

Here's what else happened in the NBA this week... 

Atlanta (13-13): Trae Young missed last week's win over the Nuggets in an apparent disagreement with head coach Nate McMillan regarding his availability after Young missed shootaround. Shams Charania reported the pair had an exchange that led to Young skipping the game entirely, a reflection of simmering issues between the player and head coach. Young noted his absence stemmed from a miscommunication, though Charania noted Young chose to focus on treating his right shoulder ailment over shootaround. McMillan gave him two choices, play off the bench or don't appear, and Young chose the latter. He returned in losses to the Thunder and Knicks this week as Atlanta fell to fifth in the east. 

Boston (21-5): Leveled the west-leading Suns, 125-98, in a game where the Celtics led by as many as 45 points to move to 3-0 on their west coast road trip. Robert Williams III (knee) practiced on Friday and appears on the verge of making his season debut against the Warriors or in Los Angeles for a back-to-back against the Clippers and Lakers starting on Monday. Boston improved to ninth in defense, while their historic offensive unit still stands above No. 2 Phoenix by over three points per 100 possessions (119.9). Al Horford entered COVID protocols before the Suns game after resting in the team's win over Toronto.

Brooklyn (15-12): Beat the Hornets to mark their fifth win over their last six games, while also challenging the Celtics in a defensive battle that showed why the Nets rank sixth in defense (108.7) since Jacque Vaughn became head coach. Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are back to basketball, while Ben Simmons' attempted revival has moved to the bench as he manages knee and calf injuries, hoping to return from both on Friday against the Hawks. Durant caught up with CLNS Media in Brooklyn, while Blake Griffin spoke about his two-year stint with the Nets after the team gave him a video tribute. 

"I had felt last year I didn't play much at the end," Griffin said. "So I thought maybe that had run its course. If you don't play towards the end of the season, I don't know that a team necessarily likes you."

Charlotte (7-19): Squarely in the race for Victor Wembenyama after three straight losses thrust them into a three-way tie with Houston and San Antonio for the third-worst record in the league. The Hornets rank 29th in offense and 23rd in defense since the beginning of November and lost 14-of-18 over the stretch by nine points per 100 possessions. A rebuild is probably what's best for a team that lost Gordon Hayward to injury again, Miles Bridges to legal trouble over the summer and hasn't been able to get LaMelo Ball on the floor for all but three games. They can reload and retool flexibly if they embrace it.

Chicago (10-14): Broke a three-game losing streak of their own with a win over the Wizards, but face a similar question about their competitiveness in the east going forward. DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic combined for 77 points over Washington, showing what this team can be at its best, but Vucevic struggled against Sacramento and DeRozan scored only 16 against the Warriors. They're 27th in offense and have lost 10-of-17 since November began, and Lonzo Ball is no closer. SB Nation looked back to almost one year ago, when the Bulls led the east, and how it went wrong so fast. 

Cleveland (16-10): Donovan Mitchell spoiled LeBron James' return to Cleveland with 43 points alongside Darius Garland's 21 and 11 assists. The 116-102 win marked the unofficial end of the Cavaliers' reliance on James to become contenders, forming their new big three around their star guards and center Jarrett Allen, with Evan Mobley working on becoming a fourth all-star. Kevin Love (back) missed Friday's game against the Kings, while Ricky Rubio (ACL) cleared for five-on-five work after he suffered the tear on Dec. 28 last season as a key facilitator to Cleveland's early-season success. 

Dallas (13-12): Scored ginormous, stabilizing wins over conference rivals Phoenix and Denver that pulled them within 3.0 games of first place in the west. Luka Doncic and Spencer Dinwiddie combined for 54 points against the Suns with double-figure efforts from Christian Wood and Josh Green, a young player Jason Kidd is enamored by. Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 29 points against the Nuggets, who Dallas held off on the final possession, and became the first Maverick to outscore Doncic (22) in a game this season.

Denver (15-10): Jamal Murray hit a game-winner in the Nuggets' 121-120 win over the Trail Blazers to mark another step in his steady progression back toward his pre-injury status. He's averaging 19.3 PPG, 4.1 RPG and 5.9 APG on 43.4% shooting since the start of November, and snapped a three-game losing streak for Denver with 21 points and eight assists. 

Detroit (7-21): Bojan Bogdanovic led another one-off win over the Heat with 31 points before falling to the Pelicans and Grizzlies to round out the week. Cade Cunningham (shin) remains out, but shot pregame in Miami and hasn't announced any plans for surgery he and the team weighed to address the stress fracture in his leg. It's unlikely he plays anytime soon either way. 

Golden State (13-13): Host the Celtics in an NBA Finals rematch on Saturday after blowing a four-point lead with 13.3 seconds left in Utah. Jonathan Kuminga and Jordan Poole missed late free throws and Malik Beasley hit a three before Nickeil Alexander-Walker's steal with four seconds left led to Simone Fontecchio's game-winner just before the buzzer. 

Andrew Wiggins (adductor strain) will miss a third straight game while Steph Curry (ankle) and Draymond Green (hip) return from missing the loss to Utah. Steve Kerr called Boston the best team in the league by far. The Warriors rank sixth in offense and 16th in defense since November began. 

Houston (7-18): Scored an impressive win over the 76ers where Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr. combined for 51 points and 10 assists while four other Rockets joined them in double-figures. The Spurs beat them in the next game, but Alperen Sengun threw down one of the dunks of the year. 

Indiana (14-12): Rookie Andrew Nembhard, the 31st overall pick from Gonzaga, built on his game-winner over the Lakers with 31 points and 13 assists in a win over the Warriors. The Pacers split their games this week to remain in the mix for home-court standing in the east, with a +0 net rating since the start of November powered by their top-10 defense over that stretch. Tyrese Haliburton's 11.0 APG lead the league by more than one per game over James Harden, and he's recording 1.8 steals per game. 

Clippers (14-13): Paul George and Kawhi Leonard combined for only 25 points in a loss to the Magic before both sat while the Clippers dropped another game to Miami the next night. They've lost 4-of-5, and boast a -1.7 net rating due to their 28th-ranked offense. That's actually risen since early in the season, but they can't build any consistency with their stars in and out of the lineup. John Wall will make his first start for LA against his former Wizards on Saturday while Norman Powell (groin) and Reggie Jackson (rest) sit. Leonard, shooting 38.6% since November started, hit a game-winner over Charlotte.

Lakers (10-15): Austin Reaves and Anthony Davis drew late fouls to force overtime, Russell Westbrook recorded a 12-point triple-double off the bench and the creaky Lakers offense managed 122 points thanks to Davis and LeBron James' 54, and LA still lost. The Lakers fell back into the west's basement with the three-game losing streak. Anthony Davis left their loss to the Cavs with flu-like symptoms, sat alongside James in Toronto, before struggling in the first half of the Sixers loss. 

Memphis (17-9): Riding a five-game win streak after beating the Heat, Thunder and Pistons handily this week. Ja Morant is averaging 25.5 PPG with 9.0 APG despite shooting 41.4% from the field. Tyus Jones scored 28 points with 10 assists while Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. sat against Miami. They received bad news on Desmond Bane (toe), as he'll miss 3-4 more weeks after missing the last four.

Miami (12-14): They look imposing with Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo combining for 57 points as they did against the Clippers, and less so while Butler sits and Tyler Herro and Adebayo try to carry the team, like in their loss to the Pistons. They received next to nothing from their bench in a loss to Memphis, and rookie Nikola Jovic is headed to the G-League. 

Milwaukee (19-6): Only stand 1.5 games behind the Celtics after winning a thriller in Dallas where Giannis Antetokounmpo fouled out and Brook Lopez beat the Mavericks back door on a layup after Dallas missed six straight free throws. Khris Middleton added 19 points to Giannis' 28, averaging 13.8 PPG on 36% shooting in four games back from wrist surgery. The Cavaliers have passed them in net rating, while their offense lags at 16th in the league despite their recent four-game win streak. 

Minnesota (13-12): Won 3-of-4 over the Grizzlies, Pacers and Jazz since Karl-Anthony Towns went down with a calf injury. D'Angelo Russell and Anthony Edwards averaged 48.8 PPG over that stretch while Jaylen Nowell added 17.0 in expanded opportunity. Rudy Gobert shot 67.7%, closer to his usual production with 13.3 PPG and 9.8 RPG. He posted 22 points and 13 rebounds in his return to Utah. 

“Everything is strange right now, I’m not going to lie to you,” he said after facing his team of nine seasons. “I’m just trying to embrace it, embrace every single moment. … It’s a lot to take in.”

New Orleans (17-8): Lead the west alongside the Grizzlies after beating the Suns behind 35 points from Zion Williamson, who capped his night with an emphatic dunk that raised tensions between the two teams. They rank sixth in offense and third in defense, and Williamson is averaging 24.5 PPG on 60.5% shooting after averaging 25.6 PPG since his return from a foot and hip ailment. 

New York (13-13): Won three straight over the Cavaliers, Hawks and Hornets with lockdown defensive efforts that only raised them to 17th in the league on that end. Reports indicated the Knicks could attach Immanuel Quickley or Cam Reddish to move off Evan Fournier's contract. Fournier is signed for one more season at $18.9 million before a $19-million team option in 2024. He's averaged 15.4 minutes across seven games since November began, largely falling out of Tom Thibodeau's rotation. 

Orlando (7-20): Bol Bol scored 20 points in an overtime win over the Clippers before Franz Wagner stunned the Raptors with 34 points. Bol, who briefly landed on the Celtics last year, is averaging 13.3 PPG, 7.8 RPG and 1.6 BPG since the beginning of November as one of the league's most-improved players. Their back-to-back victories tightened the race for the top lottery odds to five teams with seven wins. Bol makes them a mesmerizing watch, and it sounds like Jonathan Isaac could join the mix soon. 

Philadelphia (13-12): James Harden scored 28 points with 12 assists to hold off a late Lakers rally into overtime. De'Anthony Melton added seven steals and combined for 71 points with Joel Embiid to snap a three-game losing streak. Harden is shooting 34.2% since returning from his foot injury with 12 turnovers. Joel Embiid is posting 32.2 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 5.8 APG, 1.8 SPG and 1.4 BPG over his last five.

Phoenix (16-10): Dropped three key games in a row to rival championship hopefuls in Dallas, Boston and New Orleans. All three teams scored 125 points against their top-10 defense, and Chris Paul's return from a 14-game absence did little to settle them on offense, shooting 9-for-20 with 11 assists and seven turnovers in his first two games back. Devin Booker struggled with foul trouble as the Suns went behind by 45 points in an embarrassing setback against the Celtics, then shot 5-for-17 against the Pelicans. 

Portland (13-12): Damian Lillard returned to score 40 points in a last-second loss to the Nuggets, shooting 9-for-17 from three after missing seven games with a muscle strain in his right leg. The Trail Blazer's defense has capsized, ranking 29th in defense over their last 10 games, and falling to 24th overall. Gary Payton II remains out after offseason core surgery, but returned to practice on Wednesday and is nearing a return to potentially uplift Portland on that end. 

Sacramento (14-10): Domantas Sabonis led the Kings over the Cavaliers scoring 18 points with 18 rebounds without De'Aaron Fox (foot), who revealed he's been playing for a month with a bruise in his right foot. Fox is day-to-day and Mike Brown will see how he feels in the coming days. Their top-five offense has slipped from historic standing alongside the Celtics, but keeps them ranked sixth in net rating.

San Antonio (7-18): Keldon Johnson and Tre Jones combined for 58 points to break the Spurs' 11-game losing streak. Romeo Langford added 11 points and five assists in a spot start, averaging 9.0 PPG on 64.3% shooting over his last five games. 

Toronto (13-13): Challenged the Celtics with 70 points from Pascal Siakam, Scottie Barnes and Gary Trent Jr., but fell after a 35-18 windfall of Boston scoring and defense in the third quarter. Fred VanVleet beat the short-handed Lakers, but their inconsistent offense failed them in a loss to Orlando. The Raptors rank 14th in offense and ninth in defense, and Zach Lowe noted rivals are watching their activity ahead of potential free agents for VanVleet and Trent Jr. O.G. Anunoby could also intrigue suitors.

Utah (15-13): Hanging on above the play-in line in the west despite a string of inconsistent play, ranking fifth in offense and 29th in defense over the past month. They stole a win at the last second over the short-handed Warriors, but lost to struggling Trail Blazers and Timberwolves teams. With the team likely too good to join the growing field of tanking franchises, Michael Pina assessed where they can go next. 

Washington (11-15): Lost five straight games as their defense started slipping against the Lakers, Bulls and Pacers. They ranked 20th on that end over the past month despite an offensive uptick led by Bradley Beal, positioning this group below the 10-team playoff field in the east after a solid start. Multiple teams are reportedly keeping an eye on Kyle Kuzma before he hits free agency this summer.