{"id":112169,"date":"2024-12-14T14:17:19","date_gmt":"2024-12-14T19:17:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=112169"},"modified":"2024-12-14T14:23:02","modified_gmt":"2024-12-14T19:23:02","slug":"jaylen-brown-playmaking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/12\/14\/jaylen-brown-playmaking\/","title":{"rendered":"Jaylen Brown’s Playmaking is Helping Him and the Celtics Reach Another Level"},"content":{"rendered":"

Throughout his career, Jaylen Brown<\/a> has been consistently criticized for his lack of playmaking both as a ball handler and passer. However, over the past two seasons, Brown has shut down this criticism and made significant strides as a playmaker. After sizable improvements last season, Brown has further elevated his playmaking this season. Let’s dive into Brown’s improvements as a playmaker and what it means for the Boston Celtics.<\/p>\n

Jaylen Brown’s Playmaking is Helping Him and the Celtics Reach Another Level<\/h2>\n

Brown’s 3.6 assists per game last year was a career-high; however, this season, Brown is averaging 4.7 assists. His 4.7 assists<\/a> rank in the 89th percentile. Additionally, Brown’s 20.9 assist%<\/a> is a career-high this is a jump from his previous career high of 17.9.\u00a0This season, the Finals MVP<\/a> is playing with more patience and poise, allowing him to see the floor and find the open man more often. In December<\/a>, Brown is averaging 5.7 assists, which ties Jayson Tatum<\/a>‘s team-leading season average. If Brown can continue this pace, the Celtics’ ceiling will be even higher, which is a scary thought for the league.<\/p>\n

Brown and Tatum’s Playmaking<\/h3>\n

The Celtics have built their offense around two elite wings who can create for themselves and others. Over the past few seasons, both Brown<\/a> and Tatum<\/a> have greatly improved as playmakers, which has helped make the team a legitimate juggernaut. Both stars are versatile playmakers capable of making the right read on both drive-and-kick and pick-and-roll\u00a0plays. Given the Celtics’ elite three-point shooting,\u00a0<\/a>drive-and-kick plays are a central part of their offense. Notably, Brown has the most assists to Payton Pritchard<\/a> (17), Derrick White<\/a> (13), and Al Horford<\/a> (13), this underscores his ability to find open shooters. In years past, Brown has mainly thrived as a pick-and-roll playmaker, but he has become a more versatile playmaker recently.<\/p>\n

With Brown and Tatum on the court<\/a>, the Celtics have a stellar 13.1 net rating and a 63.7 assist percentage. These numbers are an improvement from last year’s<\/a> 8.0 net rating and 61.2 assist percentage. With two-star wings scoring and playmaking at this level surrounded by elite shooting, the Celtics<\/a> are an impossible team to game-plan against.<\/p>\n

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Jaylen Brown’s best assists of the season<\/p>\n

A thread \ud83e\uddf5<\/p>\n

Clips via @shotcreatordata<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Eamon Cassels (@EamonCassels) December 14, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n