For most of us, family time in late December is all about gifts and cherishing the holidays. That hasn’t been the case for Jaylen Brown and his family, who are still uneasy about the attempted break-in at Brown’s Mother’s house.
“The situation that happened a week or so ago kind of affected us a little bit, made us start to evaluate and think about things a little bit differently,” Brown said. “That definitely takes some brain power to kind of have to filter through that for your family and stuff like that. And we got some decisions we got to make going forward.”
It’s understandable how life can distract from basketball, but basketball is why Brown has been able to enjoy this life, so at some point, he had to figure out how to regain some of the balance between the two. That point came against the Indiana Pacers.
“Indiana, I think is more catered to me: Aggressive, physical, getting up and down, transition, and kind of force us to have to play that kind of style, which I think is more catered to how I want to play basketball,” Brown said. “So tonight was a night where I was able to get into a rhythm. Next game may be different but whatever the game needs, being able to adjust and do whatever is needed for our team.”
It’s hard to argue. Brown has developed a history of hurting the Pacers, but this was one of his most complete dominations. He scored almost at will and defended like a hawk, making him one of only three Celtics ever to have four steals in a 40-point game (Larry Bird did it five times. Antoine Walker was the other).
“He was big time,” Joe Mazzulla said. “He has the ability to impact a team, an arena just kind of with his energy and his physicality, and when he gets into a certain zone, he just gets locked in. And you kind of saw that on both ends of the floor.”
Brown needed a game like this. The team needed it. It’s not that they were reeling, but they were certainly not playing to their capabilities. Everyone in the world knew it, especially Brown.
“I think obviously, playing on Christmas Day is a privilege, and we kind of let our fans down on our home court,” Brown admitted. “We appreciate everybody for taking the time out of the day to watch us, and we didn’t put our best foot forward. So I think we wanted to come out and respond today.”
They did, and it was Brown who set the tone. He scored 15 points in the first quarter without a miss. And then in the second quarter, when a little slippage could have given the Pacers life, Brown exploded for six loud points in just 31 seconds to keep the game in check, including a contest-worthy dunk off one of his steals.
“I think the shot-making is a distraction to what he does great defensively,” Mazzulla said. “So it was great to see that from him.”
We’re all guilty of mostly focusing on offensive production. That's 90% of what a box score typically shows. There are steals, blocks, and rebounds, but everything else is related to what a player does with the ball in his hands. Scoring is easy to see on television because the ball starts in a player’s hands, he tosses it towards the rim, and it either goes in or doesn’t.
Defense isn’t as easy to follow.
“I don’t think defense is, like people don’t pay enough attention to it,” Brown said. “But I feel like I’m one of the best two-way players in the world. So I try to hang my hat on that side by doing different assignments like picking up guys full-court, chasing guys off screens, switching onto bigs. That takes a lot of energy.”
Which is why a lot of star players don’t care as much about playing defense. They want to spend their energy doing the sexy stuff. Playing on both ends like Brown does, and then having an offensive night like this, is difficult.
“Usually somebody his size would guard a wing, but he’s picking up the best point guards in the world full-court and then scoring 25,” Payton Pritchard said. “People don’t really understand how difficult that really is. They overestimate what that takes. He should definitely be in the All-Defensive Team category because we give him the hardest assignments. It’s an exhausting thing, and he’s creating havoc and making things tough every night. So they definitely need to take notice.”
It’s true, but for now, Brown will have to settle for us marveling at his offensive prowess. Whether it’s been the distractions of personal life, exhausting defensive assignments, or a combination of the two, Brown has not been his normal self offensively. That is until he had the chance to feast on one of his favorite opponents.
“You can't expect everything to just go perfect,” Brown said. “I think the adversity is kind of, you need that more to see what you're made of. So in those moments, you don't get concerned. … You've just got to respond. That's like my favorite thing to do is respond to adversity."
As he sat at the podium answering questions, he was asked about his hat, which was adorned with shiny accouterments. Brown is no stranger to wearing his messages, so maybe this was one, somehow.
“It’s just a fashion statement,” he said. “But I guess I’m a king so I’ve got some jewels.”
It was a bold statement for a bold piece of fashion, but it’s something you get to say when you drop a gem like that on the court.
