Jaylen Brown’s commitment to defense is a game-changer for Celtics

Jaylen Brown’s commitment to defense is a game-changer for Celtics originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Jaylen Brown’s season-long quest to earn All-Defense consideration got thrust back into the spotlight over the weekend.

After watching Pelicans big man Zion Williamson dominate the opening frame Saturday, Brown took on the challenge of making him work for his points the rest of the night. The results? Williamson generated just three points on 1-of-6 shooting with three turnovers over a game-high seven minutes, 15 seconds of matchup time with Brown as the primary defender, per NBA tracking.

Brown was the primary defender on Williamson for 56.7 percent of his floor time, with no one else on the Celtics going north of 19.9 percent. Brown got whistled for a couple of shooting fouls but offered firm resistance when Williamson tried to navigate to the basket.

And, aided by backline help from Kristaps Porzingis, the Celtics bottled up Williamson better while putting on a defensive clinic in the middle quarters.

The Pelicans were 2 of 14 shooting (14.3%) when Jaylen Brown was the primary defender on Saturday.

Zion defended by JB via NBA tracking:

7:15 matchup time
35.6 possessions
3 PTS
1-6 FG
3 TO pic.twitter.com/0VNjNhtUg7

— Chris Forsberg (@ChrisForsberg_) March 31, 2024

The Celtics own the third-best defense in the NBA, allowing 110.7 points per 100 possessions. They had been entrenched at No. 2 behind Minnesota until a recent slip that saw Orlando leapfrog them.

Even with one of the NBA’s better defenses, Brown might struggle to get All-Defense consideration, if only because of the talent around him. The Celtics have an All-Defense backcourt in Derrick White and Jrue Holiday, while Porzingis has been impactful as a back-line deterrent.

Brown is having the best defensive season of his career. He’s routinely sacrificed scoring to preserve energy on the defensive side. That defensive intensity has only cemented his All-NBA status, but it will be interesting to see just how much consideration he gets for All-Defense.

Among the 162 players defending at least 10 shot attempts per game with at least 40 appearances…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/jaylen-browns-commitment-defense-game-142718996.html

Author : NBC Sports Boston

Publish date : 2024-04-01 14:27:18

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