Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here… highlighting the big story line. Because there’s nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.
“Boston definitely is enjoying all the picks that they’re getting from the Nets the last few years,” James said.
Specifically, James was referring to Celtics rookie Jaylen Brown, who was drafted third overall last June with a draft choice that originally belonged to Brooklyn.
With Jae Crowder sidelined with a sprained ankle, Brown drew his first pro start, as well as the most daunting task in the NBA: defending James at one end while trying to score on him at the other.
Although Brown’s performance was not flawless, it was quite encouraging for the Celtics. He had 19 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 assists, and made 8 of 16 field goal attempts. No, he did not stop James in the 128-122 loss, but he did not get overpowered by him and he did not look out of place.
So yeah, pretty slow news day for Celtics fans–unless you want to count that bizarre Brook Lopez rumor that popped up for about thirty seconds in the middle of Friday afternoon. Yikes. Turn a fire hose on that one. I’m glad that the Lopez brothers are enjoying their cat-centered lives in New York–I’m a cat owner myself–but man, the Celtics don’t need to send the Nets anywhere near what they’d want to part with, basically, their one good player.
Where was I? Oh yes, Jaylen Brown. Frankly, Brown’s defense on James will be more important over time than his offense. Lebron’s defense, at his age and at this point in the season, is not something that he’s ever going to want on a highlight reel. I mean, it’s great that Jaylen got Lebron to bite on that pump fake–that was cool. But about as soon as Jaylen got past Lebron he was already thinking about the other end of the court. He made a half-hearted effort to contest that dunk, but didn’t put in any of the effort that leads to twitter fame for being ‘destroyed’ because you actually stayed in your assignment and got in the way of a dunk.
Anyway, Jaylen Brown was +15, best on the team, matched up opposite Lebron. That’s not something you expect from a guy playing his fifth game. I think this kid is going to learn the NBA game really quickly.
Also, remember when Celtics fans were booing because the C’s picked him instead of trading the pick for Jimmy Butler? I’m going out on a limb and saying if this kid stays healthy, he’s going to be better than Jimmy Butler.
Related links:
Boston Herald: Jaylen Brown showing ‘no back-down’ early in Celtics career
Page 2: Perspective
Posting this up here as a reminder of how quickly one particular ‘super team’ gelled. One where the players didn’t even *choose* to team up–they were traded.
The rest of the links:
CSNNE: EE Debate: Should the Celtics retire Ray Allen’s number? | MacMullan: More playing time for Jaylen Brown the better | Jaylen Brown impresses LeBron James in game vs. Cavaliers
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