It seems like just yesterday Jaylen Brown was stepping up in place of a fatally maimed Gordon Hayward in the season-opener, scoring 25 gutsy points while trying not to cry. If not yesterday, then a week ago, at most.
Now the season is almost over. Brown has continued his up-stepping, showing ever more the varied abilities that he possesses, the abilities that were the reason he got drafted 3rd overall last year. Celtics fans have to be pleased, even if everything seems to be unraveling around them at the moment. Having the better sophomore player over the Lakers has to ease a lot of pain. I know how that rivalry is.
If they want to do things in the playoffs, Brown is peaking at the right time. Ignore that 9-point game he had while getting blown out by the Raptors. Before that he scored 24 (against a playoff team) and now he’s scored a career-high 32 (not against a playoff team). Hitting a bunch of threes is the easiest path to such a point total, and that is the path he took because he’s no dummy: 7 threes, including a dagger with 36 seconds left. I haven’t heard anyone complaining about sportsmanship on that one, yet. Maybe I just have to wait a bit.