Jaylen’s latest growth area: How Celtics star has evolved as a playmaker

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Jaylen’s latest growth area: How Celtics star has evolved as a playmaker originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

On a team chock full of playmakers, Jaylen Brown will forever be more of a finisher than a distributor. But with both Jayson Tatum and Jrue Holiday sitting out Wednesday’s visit from the Detroit Pistons, Brown showed he can do both, piling up a season-high nine assists to go along with game-high 28 points.

One year ago this month, an ESPN social media graphic chided Brown after he attempted 43 field goals without registering an assist over a two-game span last season. Brown pushed back while noting his perpetual drive to improve all areas of his game.

On Wednesday night, those strides in his passing game were on full display. Brown finished with a staggering 17 potential assists, leading to 26 assist points. That’s more than double his season average in both categories, with both marks already way up over his career averages. Just look at his progress since 2021-22 in key passing metrics:

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“I think it’s also a credit to my development,” Brown told reporters after Wednesday’s game. “I improve on things. A lot of my weaknesses in the past I’ve attacked. So being able to run a team and an offense, I look forward to those moments.”

Brown was quick to point out that the Celtics are flush with playmakers, and it’s not always his job to create. Still, he’s third on the Celtics in assist points created this season, trailing only Tatum (15.8) and Derrick White (13.1) while sitting one spot ahead of Holiday (10.8).

Having Kristaps Porzingis back on the floor has certainly helped Brown’s assist numbers, too. Boston’s first bucket in Wednesday’s game came when Brown lobbed an alley-oop to Porzingis, the first of Brown’s four assists to his “Cookies and Cream” partner.

But that wasn’t his prettiest feed of the night. Drawing a pair of defenders at the basket on a second-quarter…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/jaylens-latest-growth-area-celtics-150207286.html

Author : NBC Sports Boston

Publish date : 2024-12-06 15:02:00

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