Celtics’ Jaylen Brown Leads NBA In This Unique Statistic

For the first time since his 2016-17 rookie season, Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown isn’t playing in the shadow of All-Star teammate Jayson Tatum this year.

“JB” has responded with one of his best seasons through the early part of the 2025-26 campaign.

Brown has shaken off an early-season hamstring injury and put his spat with NBA officials in the rearview mirror to play in each of the Celtics’ first 13 games.

Not only has Brown been durable, but the 29-year-old’s been playing at an All-NBA level.

He enters Thursday averaging a career-high 27.0 points per contest, along with 5.1 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 31.6 minutes per game as well. Brown’s also shooting a career-best .516 from the field and .787 from the free throw line, while his .361 three-point field goal percentage is his highest since his first All-Star campaign in 2020-21.

The former No. 3 overall draft pick also leads the NBA in having the highest percentage of his shot attempts coming from “long midrange” (14 feet to the three-point line) at 31.3 percent.

“It’s the highest output in the league, far ahead of even midrange-loving Kevin Durant (26.7 percent of shots in long mid-range),” NBC Sports Boston Celtics insider Chris Forsberg wrote on Thursday. “But Brown has been thriving in that spot. He’s shooting 56 percent (44 of 79) from the long midrange and 51 percent on midrange shots overall. It feels like every midrange shot is going in as he hangs in the air above his defender. Brown’s 3-point shot has been streaky, but he’s also showing off some nifty footwork while getting excellent looks in the midrange, and it’s a big-reason for his team-leading 27 points per game.”

Brown might be the new “King of the midrange.”