Jaylen Brown certainly didn’t start off the 2018-19 NBA season as well as he’d liked, but since his role with the Boston Celtics changed, his success has been noticeable.
Brown was relegated to the bench after the revamped starting lineup dominated while he was injured, and his numbers greatly have improved while being a pivotal part of the Celtics’ reserves. One might say the role change helped the 22-year-old, but one of his teammates deserves some credit.
Kyrie Irving sees plenty of potential in Brown, and wants to help him go beyond that and above the expectations everyone has for him.
“I have such high expectations for a guy like Jaylen, knowing how smart he is off the court, knowing his intellect, how he likes to be challenged,” Irving said in an interview with ESPN’s Jackie MacMullan. “On the court, you just know there’s so much more for him. You can see how much better he can get.”
Irving, a seven-year NBA vet, knows it can be easy for a young star’s confidence to get rattled, so he can be the one to help Brown get out of any rut he’s in.
“I think he deserves that,” Irving said. “In my career, I’ve had the opportunity to play with another great player (LeBron James) who demands greatness out of you every single day. That comes with certain expectations. Sometimes you don’t know exactly what those expectations are until you experience them. And that’s what Jaylen is dealing with now.
” …Â The beautiful thing about Jaylen is he’s smart enough to figure this out. He’s in a transitional year.”
It certainly seems as if Brown has figured it out since returning to the court from a back injury, but it’s clear Irving won’t be afraid to step in if Brown gets into a rut again.
