Jaylen Brown is famous for improving every year, but if there’s one area Boston fans would point to as something that needs a little more work, it’s his playmaking.
Brown has averaged roughly three and a half assists in each of the last four seasons. He hasn’t been stagnant during that time (last year was his lowest turnover rate in four years, and his 6.8 potential assists were a slight career-high), but his improvements in this offseason have been a little more pronounced.
“I’m obsessed with challenging myself,” Brown said. “I kind of fell in love with it, so I’m always seeking new ways to improve. And the great thing about it is that there’s so much more room for improvement that I see in myself, and you guys see it as well. I’ve been able to accomplish a lot while not even being in my best form, so the room for growth is there.”
Given last year’s defensive improvements, the most logical area for Brown to challenge himself is with his passing. We’ve seen some tantalizing glimmers in the preseason.
To start with the raw numbers, Brown has nine assists in 65 preseason minutes. That’s 5.0 assists per 36 minutes, above last year’s regular-season average of 3.8 assists per 36. This is by far the most per-minute assists he’s thrown in any preseason.
While hardly statistically significant, it becomes more impressive when you consider that Brown is missing his favorite running mate.
Last season, Brown threw more assists to Kristaps Porzingis than anyone else on the team, and I worried that we might see some initial struggles as Brown adjusted to not having his favorite release valve. Instead, Brown is already replicating that chemistry with Luke Kornet, Porzingis’ replacement through this preseason so far.
Where Brown often found Porzingis behind the line, he’s done a masterful job of drawing the defense’s attention before rocketing a pass to Kornet under the rim (and Kornet deserves praise for his hands — some of these balls have zip!). He has to put the perfect amount of velocity and height on this pass to get past Nikola Jokic’s sticky paws:
In total, four of his nine assists have gone to Kornet. Kornet has shown clever feel cutting around Brown’s gravitational pull:
Brown has also thrown several excellent skip passes to take advantage of bent defenses. Although this doesn’t lead to a bucket, it’s another perfectly weighted pass, this time over the arms of a leaping Russell Westbrook:
Jaylen has also brought the sauce, utilizing an array of head fakes, no-looks, and look-aways. Even with his turnovers, there has been a clear (and fun!) vision:
We can’t make sweeping proclamations after a few dozen preseason minutes, but if you’re looking for signs of optimism, they are easy to find. Brown’s instant connection with Kornet and improvement compared to his historical box-score stats are encouraging. (In fact, the Celtics as a whole have been assisting teammates more often in the preseason than last year’s regular season, even after adjusting for pace).
Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla ensures that this team will stay hungry, but Brown hardly needs a pep talk. As we’ve discussed extensively, Brown may be more motivated than anyone after the summer he’s had. Last year’s NBA Finals, in which Brown averaged five assists per game, provided a hint of what might be to come, and this preseason has only further whetted my appetite. I’ll be watching closely to see if the chip on his shoulder translates to more dimes for his teammates.
