Jaylen Brown has missed out on the NBA’s Player of the Month award for December. The Boston Celtics forward was named among the runners-up, with New York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson scooping the award.
Brown produced some stellar basketball throughout the final month of 2024, including a nine-game stretch where he dropped 30 or more points, tying Larry Bird’s franchise record.
Upon learning of his snub, Brown posted his reaction on X.
In 10 games played in December, Brown averaged 31.7 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.2 steals per game, shooting 53.8% from the field and 42.6% from three-point range. The Celtics were 7-3 in games Brown played throughout the month.
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However, Brunson played in four additional regular-season games and helped the Knicks secure the NBA Cup. Both factors likely played a role in his winning the award, despite slightly lower overall production than Brown.
The fact that Brown was snubbed doesn’t mean that he wasn’t one of the best players in the NBA throughout December. He played a key role in helping the Celtics continue to outperform preseason expectations, which included the franchise sitting third in the Eastern Conference.
Brown will undoubtedly use the snub as motivation moving forward. After all, we’re still in the early parts of the season and he could potentially take his game to another level as we get closer to the playoffs.
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Winning Player of the Month would have been the recognition that Brown deserved, but that just means that when he does earn the award, it will mean that much more, especially if the Celtics have defeated the Knicks during that month.
Featured image via Trevor Ruszkowski/Imagn Images
