Jaylen Brown's signature shot has abandoned him, so he's adjusting to find ways to score

Jaylen Brown has been great this season in the primary role for the Boston Celtics. He’s hovered between third and fifth in most MVP rankings, and he was voted an All-Star starter for the first time in his career. But the one shot that got him here has ditched him this month. Here's how he's adjusting until he finds it again.

Jan 23, 2026; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) takes a shot against Brooklyn Nets center Nic Claxton (33) and guard Egor Demin (8) during the first quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

A big reason for Brown’s offensive success was the incredible efficiency of his mid-range shot. Heading into January, Brown was shooting 49.5% on those shots, right at the level where the analytics and eye test agree that the shot is a good one. Brown finished December shooting 56.3% on shots between 16–24 feet, and 55% on shots between 15–19 feet.

He was a mid-range master.

“I think we've changed our approach significantly,” Brown said during this past road trip. “I was discouraged a lot of times to take midrange shots. At different points in my career they literally told me not to. So now it's like, Jaylen, you can take whatever shot you want. I was like, sure. So I’ve been shooting as many midranges as I can get up. But at different points in my career, that hasn't been the case.”

However, Brown has fallen into a bit of a slump from that spot in January. Maybe it’s the doldrums of the toughest month of the season. Maybe it’s been the long road trip. Or maybe it’s been lingering hamstring tightness that seems to resurface from time to time. Whatever it is, Brown’s mid-range shot has abandoned him this month.

Brown is shooting 43.8% overall in January, and the bulk of that has come from missed middies. He is shooting 11-38 (28.9%) on shots between 15–19 feet, and 4-25 (16%) on shots between 16–24 feet. That has pushed his overall mid-range percentage down to 25.4% for the month.

He’s certainly not the only player slumping in January, both on the Celtics and across the league. Derrick White is shooting 25% from three this month and 36% overall after a blistering December where he shot 38% from three and 45% overall. January is the time for slumps to happen, and Brown is not immune.

Brown has been able to keep his scoring up, averaging 30.7 points per game in January. He’s doing it with a slight uptick in his 3-point shooting and by getting closer to the rim. Through December, he shot 32-83 (38.6%) on shots between 5–9 feet. In January, he’s 29-63 (46%). He’s hit almost as many this month than he’d hit in the past two-plus months.

So on the plus side, Brown has found other ways to score while he’s working through regaining his mid-range touch. On the negative side, the mid-range shot has become a signature for him, and it’s going to be a shot he needs to regain in the playoffs. Right now, that shot has abandoned him, but Brown knows he has to fight through this month as part of the path to get it back.

“At this point, mentally is the part we’ve just to push through, because you start to wane a little bit, as your body starts to wane a little bit, your mind can wane a little bit too,” Brown said. “So this is where you’ve got to still be firm with the ball and all that type of stuff and execute because that can be the difference between you winning or losing games. So I’m focused on that.”