Kevin O’Connor Explains Clearly Why Celtics’ Jaylen Brown Deserves In MVP Conversation
Boston Celtics superstar Jaylen Brown has done everything and more to silence his critics this season, as well as people who didn’t believe the Celtics were going to be good this year.
Despite landing beside Larry Bird in Boston’s record books in December and powering the Celtics to more winning, Brown was snubbed for NBA Player of the Month honors in recent days, which led to a widespread, collective outcry on social media.
Brown himself revealed in multiple videos that surfaced online that he felt snubbed by the political decision to anoint New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson the POTM, despite Brunson putting up inferior stats to Brown in December (and with the Knicks and Celtics having similar records).
Brown went out and dropped 50 points in a blowout victory of the LA Clippers on Saturday night, as if to smile at the disrespect and remind everyone who he is.
At this point, it’s impossible to discount Brown’s efforts. He’s a legit MVP candidate at this point in the season, something that Yahoo’s Kevin O’Connor pointed out on Sunday morning while reflecting on the Clippers performance and JB’s body of work in 2025-26.
With Jayson Tatum sidelined by an Achilles injury and despite key departures like Jrue Holiday and Al Horford, Brown has shouldered the offensive load as Boston’s primary option this year. He’s averaging 30.1 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game, ranking fourth league-wide in scoring while shooting 51.0 percent from the field.
Over the last 15 games, where the Celtics went 12-3, Brown has posted 31.9 points on 52.9 percent shooting, plus offering consistently strong defense, solidifying his two-way status.
JB has improved every single year he’s been in the league. Selected third overall by the Celtics in the 2016 NBA Draft, he’s evolved into one of the league’s premier wings over nine-plus seasons.