Cal Basketball: Jaylen Brown and Celtics on a Red-Hot Roll as NBA Playoffs Approach
Jaylen Brown has scored 25 points or more in nine consecutive games for the first time in his six-year NBA career. He and his Boston Celtics teammates are the hottest team in the league entering the final week of the regular season.
What could possibly go wrong?
Depending on how the next three games play out, the Celtics could finish anywhere from second to fourth place in the NBA East. The Toronto Raptors, meanwhile, are jockeying between fifth and sixth.
So there are realistic scenarios in which Boston and Toronto would meet in a first-round playoff series, and that creates some potential unknowns that could complicate things.
Canada has a COVID-19 vaccine mandate that could prevent unvaccinated players from entering the country to play games in Toronto.
Brown, who played one season at Cal before entering the NBA, has been less than entirely open about his vaccination status, which is his right.
“Last year I missed the playoffs, had a season-ending injury with my wrist,” Brown told the Boston Globe. “This year from a competitive standpoint I’m excited and ready to play against anybody.
“As a vice president of the players association, it’s a part of my job description to protect our players’ rights and our medical privacy. So you won’t hear me commenting on my status or anybody else’s. But that’s how I feel about it.”
Nothing he said indicates Brown is unvaccinated. By citing privacy issues and declining to confirm he has received the vaccine, however, he creates some uncertainty.
The Celtics have not commented on the vaccine status of their players.
Jaylen Brown
Photo by David Butler II, USA Today
What’s undeniable is Brown and the Celtics are playing at a peak level, even adjusting to the absence of center Robert Williams, lost for 4-to-6 weeks after left knee surgery on March 30.
The Celtics struggled through the first half of the season but they have the NBA’s best record —26-6 — since Jan. 23.
"Man, we've come a long way," Brown said after Sunday’s 144-102 rout of Washington.
Brown has played a central role as the team’s offensive co-star alongside Jayson Tatum. Brown’s scoring average has crept up to 23.7, complementing Tatum’s 27.0 mark.
Over the past nine games, Brown is averaging 28.9 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists. He’s shooting 57 percent from the field, including 50 percent (27 for 54) from the 3-point arc.
He has scored at least 25 points in each of those games, with five outings of 30 points or more, including 32 vs. the Wizards on Sunday.
Brown said he never gave up on this season. Since sitting at 23-24 after a loss to Portland on Jan. 21, the Celtics are outscoring opponents by a whopping 15 points per game.
“I never lost faith,” Brown said. “I know things seemed to be bad, but I was always optimistic. It’s relieving to be at this point, where everyone sees what I saw from the start. I think we still have a lot of room to grow. The stars are aligning.”
The Celtics were clicking on Sunday against Washington, hitting nearly 62 percent from the field, including 23 of 44 from the 3-point line. They had 39 assists and scored at least 34 points in each quarter.
Their remaining regular-season schedule is tough with road games vs. three playoff-bound teams: Wednesday at Chicago, Thursday at Milwaukee, Sunday at Memphis.
As a result, it’s not unreasonable to imagine the Celtics slipping behind the Bucks, currently just a half-game behind them.
First-year coach Ime Udoka already is looking ahead to the postseason and considering how opponents will try to cope with Tatum and Brown.
“We’ve seen quite a bit how Jayson and Jaylen are going to be defended at times. They’re going to try to make other guys prove it,” he said. “And the result is 39 assists when we’re making shots, but we’re also moving the ball and trusting our guys . . . Teams are going to load up and try to have those guys prove it.”
Cover photo of Jaylen Brown dunking against Washington by Winslow Townson, USA Today
Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo
