While New England Patriots fans are arguing over Drake Maye’s MVP case versus Matthew Stafford’s, Boston Celtics fans are starting to make a similar push for Jaylen Brown.
Brown has carried the Celtics all season in Jayson Tatum’s absence, especially lately. Over his last 17 games, he’s averaging 31.6 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.8 assists, playing some of the best basketball of his career.
Brown’s been crushing it on the defensive end as well, fueling his reputation as one of the sport’s best two-way players.
With Boston surging into the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference, Brown’s been getting more attention lately, especially as other superstars have suffered injuries. He’s emerged as a legit MVP candidate alongside Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luka Doncic.
Brown has one of the weakest supporting casts in the league, too, making his numbers even more impressive.
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“Jaylen Brown’s getting it done with less,” former Celtics player Kendrick Perkins said recently during an NSFW argument on “NBA Courtside.” “He’s the best two-way player in the game right now.”
While Perkins picked Doncic to win MVP before the season started, he criticized Doncic for not doing enough on defense. Doncic has better offensive stats than Brown, but is generally regarded as a poor defender and doesn’t make the same type of impact on the defensive end.
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Perkins was a strong rim protector during his playing days and played alongside Kevin Garnett, so it’s not surprising that he values defense. He also won an NBA championship with the Celtics, so he knows how important it is.
Featured image via Trevor Ruszkowski/Imagn Images
