Don't overlook Jaylen Brown's passing, plus other Celtics overreactions

https://www.nbcsports.com/boston/celtics/dont-overlook-jaylen-browns-passing-plus-other-celtics-overreactions



Don't overlook Jaylen Brown's passing, plus other Celtics overreactions



By Chris Forsberg

October 26, 2019 12:57 AM




BOSTON — Of all the things that Jaylen Brown did in the first three years of his NBA career to position himself for a $115 million extension, passing was not particularly high on his list.

Brown had more turnovers (292) than assists (278) in his first three seasons and, while you can chalk some of that up to his role, he never quite showed the vision and ball-handling that suggested better playmaking was ahead.

Then something changed this summer. While playing for Team USA, Brown showed flashes of creation. It was on display again Friday night when he totaled four assists in the Celtics' 112-106 triumph over the Toronto Raptors in the C's home opener.

Four assists aren't going to leap off the page, but the fact that Brown had only reached that number 12 times in regular-season play over his career offers some perspective. It wasn’t just the number, either, but the quality of assists that made it notable.

The gem came midway through the fourth quarter when Brown got a rebound and immediately pushed the ball up the floor. The Celtics were riding some momentum as Kemba Walker started to break out of his offensive funk and Brown immediately looked up the floor trying to push.

After two hard dribbles, Brown pitched a perfect bounce pass that covered about 30 feet, split a couple of defenders, and hit a sprinting Gordon Hayward in stride inside the free-throw line for a layup that put Boston out front by one with less than six minutes to go.

"I’ve definitely been working on that side of my game, being a playmaker, making plays for others,” said Brown. "So, to see that, I was more excited for me than any of the other plays that I made. So, hopefully, there will be a lot more passes like that coming soon.”

On a night Brown scored 25 points on 11-of-20 shooting, his passing was easy to overlook. Still, there were some nice moments. Like when he took a handoff from Daniel Theis early in the first quarter, probed a bit behind a screen then, drawing a crowd of four black jerseys in the paint, dumped the ball out to Hayward for an open 3-pointer.

Brown’s scoring is expected, but opening up his NBA toolbox is far more important to becoming the sort of player that Boston splurged to lock up before the season.

And that’s why we start our three overreactions from Friday with Brown.


Overreaction No. 1: Brown will muscle his way into All-Star consideration if he plays the kind of all-around game we saw Friday.

The foul-filled opener Wednesday left some grumbling about Brown, Friday calmed them down.

Against the Raptors, Brown showed flashes of the player the Celtics invested in. The offense was nice, especially when eight of Brown’s 11 makes came at the rim. He produced Boston’s first bucket of the night with a nice left-handed finish off a drive and wasn’t afraid to post-up Kyle Lowry even when Marc Gasol came with help (like when Brown hit a little 6-foot fadeaway over both players midway through the third).

Still, what makes Brown’s stat line pop is all the other ways he impacted the game. There were a team-high nine rebounds. He committed just one turnover. He blocked two shots.

One of those blocks came when he swatted a Lowry layup attempt in a one-possession game midway through the fourth quarter. A short time after, he rushed over with help defense to deny Marc Gasol as he rolled to the basket in a one-point game.

“Just trying to be a monster on defense,” said Brown. “Just trying to set our feet. That’s where we're going to hang our coat every night, on the defensive end. Smart is leading the way and I’m right behind him.

"Whether I have to guard the 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6, it don’t matter. I just have to be ready to play.”


Overreaction No. 2: The only pass better than Brown’s transition feed was Jayson Tatum’s late-game wraparound

Brown and Tatum were twinning in the box score with both players putting up 25 points, nine rebounds, and four assists. Much like Brown, Tatum has often heard grumbles about his playmaking abilities while averaging an identical 1.9 assists per game in his career.

Tatum’s finest feed Friday came with just under three minutes to play in the fourth quarter and Boston clinging to a one-point lead. Getting a favorable matchup against Lowry, Tatum attacked on the baseline, which sucked four Toronto defenders into the paint. When Serge Ibaka contested and ensured no layup attempt, Tatum hung in the air and somehow muscled a two-handed pass back out to the 3-point line on the far side of the court. Brown caught the feed and got up an open shot before Fred Van Vleet could scramble to contest, putting Boston up 4.

Tatum is showing better court awareness this year, particularly while attacking in transition. Midway through the second quarter, he dropped a little behind-the-back pass to Brown in the lane leading to a thunderous one-handed jam that had Brown flexing at the fans beyond the baseline.

Tatum had another gorgeous feed with the score tied at 104 with 3:25 to play. He drew two defenders while coming off a screen and, attacking from the top of the key, Tatum zipped a one-handed feed to Hayward for a go-ahead triple.

Like Brown, Tatum can distinguish himself with more than just his scoring.


Overreaction No. 3: The Celtics should start Robert Williams

We always thought this would happen later in the season, but circumstances might move up the timeline for the Time Lord.

With Enes Kanter out with a knee bruise and Theis dinged up after spraining his left ankle on Friday, the Celtics ought to put second-year rim runner Williams in the starting lineup on Saturday in New York. If nothing else, we’ll get a better idea of whether he can hold his own against starter-caliber big men (albeit, Knicks big men).

Williams’ passing and his defensive potential make him a very intriguing complement to Boston’s other typical starters. He's still raw and there’s much to work on but the Celtics seemingly can’t go super small the entirety of games, so let’s see what Williams can do when playing six-minute bursts at the start of each half. Williams put up six points and six rebounds in 14:39 on Friday, making all three shots he took while adding two steals and a block.

While Boston's big-man numbers are perilously thin, it’s time to see how he fares as a center of attention.



bob



.