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Inside The Celtics

Jaylen Brown is on a Free Throw Binge, Giving Thunder Star Some of His Own Medicine

The Boston Celtics superstar not only took more free throws than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, he hit him with a move that was payback for a trick he fell for in Oklahoma City
John Karalis|
Mar 25, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) goes around a pick set by center Neemias Queta (88) during the second quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images
Mar 25, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) goes around a pick set by center Neemias Queta (88) during the second quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images | Winslow Townson-Imagn Images

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The Celtics were looking pretty frustrated with the officials at one point late in their win over the OKC Thunder. At that point, I turned to a colleague on press row and said “oh yeah, someone is commenting about the officials tonight.” 

Jaylen Brown obliged. 

“I thought the officials did a good job tonight.” 

… ummm, what? 

“Every call is not going to be perfect, but I thought they did a great job of trying to keep it balanced or keep it the same both ways.”

I’m sorry, I was looking for the other Jaylen Brown. The Boston Celtics superstar who has been fined and ejected this season for his interactions with the refs.

“I have no complaints. But if they're gonna get those calls, as long as we get ‘em too, I feel decent about it.”  

Yes, those are his actual quotes. I can swear to them as a witness. I’m the one who asked the questions. He was looking right at me when he said all this. 

Maybe he’s happy about the 14 free throws he took, two more than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. In fact, Brown is taking more free throws than ever.

He has taken 485 free throws this season, shattering his previous career-high of 344. He’s taking 9.1 per game in March, and if that continues over the next ten games, he can get to 576, which gets him really close to shooting as many free throws this season as the past two seasons combined (622). 

So what’s the secret? 

“I feel like I've played the same style, but I feel like maybe complaining has given a little bit more notoriety to how the game is officiated,” he explained. “I feel like I've gotten more calls.” 

It’s hard to say if this is simply the squeaky wheel getting the grease, but whatever is happening, it’s working for him. Not only is he taking more free throws, he’s making more.

Brown’s career-high free throw percentage is 76.5%, but right now he’s at 80.2%. If he takes 91 more free throws over the last 10 games and makes 80% of them, he’ll finish with 462 made foul shots. That would actually surpass his previous two seasons (457). 

It’s a tall order, but the way Brown is playing, he might be able to pull it off. His three fouls drawn on Gilgeous-Alexander helped the Celtics get into the bonus and take control of the game as OKC was trying to make a run. One of them included a “got him” moment where Brown gave SGA a taste of his own medicine. 

Brown drove, created space, and then hit Gilgeous-Alexander with an upfake. SGA bit hard, Brown rose up, and drew the and-one. SGA knew he got got. Brown knew it too, which is why he couldn't contain his smile afterward.  

“He got me last time he played them,” Brown said. “He got me on the up fake and I knew it was coming, and I still jumped forward. So I guess I was able to pay it back.”

Cue the James Brown music, because this payback made Brown feel real good. The Celtics had something to prove Wednesday night, and they proved it, thanks to Brown’s masterclass straight out of the Gilgeous-Alexander playbook. 

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John Karalis
JOHN KARALIS

John Karalis is a 20-year veteran of Celtics coverage and was nominated for NSMA's Massachusetts Sportswriter of the Year in 2019. He has hosted the Locked On Celtics podcast since 2016 and has written two books about the Celtics. John was born and raised in Pawtucket, RI. He graduated from Shea High School in Pawtucket, where he played football, soccer, baseball, and basketball and was captain of the baseball and basketball teams. John graduated from Emerson College in Boston with a Bachelor of Science degree in Broadcast Journalism and was a member of their Gold Key Honor Society. He was a four-year starter and two-year captain of the Men’s Basketball team, and remains one of the school's top all-time scorers, and Emerson's all-time leading rebounder. He is also the first Emerson College player to play professional basketball (Greece). John started his career in television, producing and creating shows since 1997. He spent nine years at WBZ, launching two different news and lifestyle shows before ascending to Executive Producer and Managing Editor. He then went to New York, where he was a producer and reporter until 2018. John is one of Boston’s original Celtics bloggers, creating RedsArmy.com in 2006. In 2018, John joined the Celtics beat full-time for MassLive.com and then went to Boston Sports Journal in 2021, where he covered the Celtics for five years. He has hosted the Locked On Celtics podcast since 2016, and it currently ranks as the #1 Boston Celtics podcast on iTunes and Spotify rankings. He is also one of the co-hosts of the Locked on NBA podcast.

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