Former Celtics Wing Speaks On Jaylen Brown’s Elite Scoring Skills

Evan Turner spent two seasons with the Boston Celtics between 2014 and 2016. He then spent the 2020-21 season as an assistant coach on the team’s staff. The former wing has close ties with the franchise, and because of that, he’s seen the development of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum firsthand.

During a recent podcast episode for Sports Illustrated, Turner and Rachel Nichols discussed Brown’s offensive jump this season. Turner took some time to break down why the Celtics’ All-Star forward has emerged as one of the biggest offensive threats in the NBA.

“I think Jaylen has stayed true to himself and is trying to continue to expand his game, get to his spots, and obviously, he’s shooting over 59% from the two,” Turner said. “So, when everybody else is shooting 40% threes, he’s still at least bringing in eight or nine mid-range jumpers attacking the rim. And whenever you get into that paint, that’s advantageous for your offense, and the defense hates it. So, that’s when you’re starting to spread and kick, and he’s having a full all-around game.”

Brown has developed into one of the best mid-range scorers in the NBA. According to Cleaning The Glass, Brown is shooting 47% from the middle of the floor and 50% between the free-throw line and the three-point line. His ability to stop and pop is an elite counter to defenders who try to force him to his weaker hand or keep him glued to his hips.

With 29.1 points per game, Brown is sixth in the NBA for scoring, just 0.1 points per night behind three-time MVP Nikola Jokic. He’s one spot above Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is dropping 28.9 points per contest.

Tatum is expected to miss most, if not all, of the current season. As such, Brown will continue to lead the Celtics’ offense and, judging by the job he’s doing, will be a significant reason they finish near the top of the Eastern Conference.

After years of being the Celtics’ secondary star, Brown is finally getting the opportunity to show what he can do when tasked with leading a team. A quarter of the way through the season, he’s thriving as he embraces the opportunity.