With the NBA postseason on the horizon, awards season is nearly here as well. While players like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Victor Wembanyama have been receiving the most MVP buzz as of late, Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown has been building a strong case of his own.
Here are three reasons why Jaylen Brown should take home the MVP trophy.
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1. The Shocking Success
The Boston Celtics were already counted out before the season even started. With Jayson Tatum recovering from a torn Achilles, the general consensus was that the Celtics would need gap year and would be mediocre at best this season.
Jaylen Brown’s strongest MVP argument is that he helped prove that idea completely wrong. He’s got the Celtics at 51-25 so far at second place in the Eastern Conference while averaging career numbers.
He’s putting up 28.8 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.3 assists, all career-highs. While he’s spent years as the secondary option behind Tatum, he took no time at all to adjust and become Boston’s primary shot creator and ball handler. While the MVP can often be called a popularity contest, Brown’s jump this season has been incredibly valuable to the Celtics.
2. His Versatility
Earlier this season, Brown pointed out his ability to play both ends of the floor at an elite level.
“I feel like I’m the best two-way player in the world,” Brown said. “I play both ends of the court night to night. I’m available, which is hard to do. I’m a leader. I help lead my team, empower my team to come out and play confidently. Stuff that doesn’t always show up on the analytics. And I’m a winner.”
Brown has certainly made his presence known on the defensive end this season. At 6’6″ with a 223-pound frame, Brown is a very switchable defender with good instincts and footwork.
The traditional steals+blocks stats may not be eye-catching, but Brown’s defensive rating of 113.6 is a career-high by far. More so than many of the other top MVP candidates, Brown is often defending the opposing team’s star player.
He’s shouldered this defensive load all while running Boston’s offense at an elite level.
3. His Consistency
Tracy McGrady appeared on his Cousins podcast with co-host Vince Carter and outlined the difference between Brown’s MVP case and Luka Doncic‘s case.
“Although Luka was putting up crazy numbers in terms of leading the league in scoring, we didn’t consider him one even at the halfway point of him being an MVP candidate. … I got to go with Jaylen Brown. JB and what he is up against. No Jayson Tatum. So that means no other All-Star alongside him.”
McGrady’s stance holds some truth, as Brown has played at an elite level on a consistent basis. He’s been arguably more consistent and reliable than players like Doncic and Wembanyama.
He’s put up at least 25 points in 49 games so far while recording seven 40-point games and one 50-point performance.
Despite Brown having such a surprising season, oddsmakers across the board aren’t exactly high on Brown’s chances to take home the MVP. That certainly doesn’t mean he’s undeserving of it.
James Parker is a sports writer for Ball Exclusives, follow him on X @TheJames_Parker
