Why This Is Jaylen Brown’s ‘Favorite Season’

ByNBAUSA



BOSTON — The Boston Celtics they were not to be entertained during the 2025-26 season. Many they expected to suffer without star Jayson Tatum healthy, resulting in a lost year for Boston or, at best, a mediocre one. Instead of succumbing to adversity and sulking, the C’s had a lot of fun and exceeded expectations, with the Celtics star Jailen Brown serving as the main source of that newfound joy.

Through 29 games, the Celtics are 18-11 and in sole possession of third place in the Eastern Conference. Brown, who is the longest-serving Celtic, has loved being an integral part of the Green Team’s success on and off the pitch.

“It means everything,” he said of his primary role in Boston’s impressive start. “I think this is my favorite season so far.”

Still, the young season hasn’t always been easy for Boston. He had to overcome injuries, roster changes and eager opponents hoping to take advantage of a developing team. The Indiana Pacers they might fall into that latter category, as they enjoyed a 20-point lead over the C’s on Monday night while trash-talking the Browns.

“Some of them guys over there — one guy in particular was talking a little crazy,” Brown revealed.

Indiana’s fun didn’t last. Despite having that sizable lead early in the third quarter, the Pacers led by just eight points heading into the fourth quarter. The bench got the Celtics back into contention, and Brown finished it off.

The four-time All-Star recorded a game-high 31 points with nine rebounds, two assists, two blocks and one steal. Brown single-handedly outscored the Pacers 14-13 in the final frame, helping the Celtics to a 103-95 victory and their biggest comeback win of the season.

Who else helped Jaylen Brown beat the Pacers from a 20-point lead?

Of course, Brown didn’t do it alone. for example, Celtics rookie Hugo Gonzalez ran seemingly non-stop as he played almost the entire second half, and center Luca Garza extended numerous offensive possessions for Boston by strategically lobbing the ball to his teammates. This kind of high-level effort is celebrated in the Celtics locker room, and Brown wants to continue to foster an environment that promotes hustle and heart with its leadership.

“I get a chance to lead a group of guys that, some of us, have a little championship experience, but we have five or six new guys that haven’t really played NBA basketball, and now we look like one of the better teams in the league,” Brown said after the win. “It’s a credit to our coaching staff and a credit to our leadership that we were able to please those guys. And we’re playing good basketball.”

Celtics coach Joe Mazzula managed to win after winning so far on his new-look roster. He does this by trusting each of his players, even those “new guys” Brown mentioned who were previously unproven in the League.

“Depth comes in a lot of different ways,” Mazzulla said during his Monday night presser. “At any given time, anyone on our bench can make an impact on a win.”

To learn how to influence victory, all Celtic have to do is watch Brown. The 2024 NBA Finals MVP is averaging a career-high 29.4 points per game while shooting 50% from the floor. He hasn’t scored fewer than 30 points in a game since Nov. 30 and even hit the Pacers with a fourth-quarter knockout on a tough 3-pointer that gave the Celtics a 96-91 lead with 2:25 left.

“We have to earn these wins,” Macula said. “And he’s been doing that for us all season.”

Brown will have a chance to get some more revenge on the trash-talking Pacers on Friday night as the Celtics travel to Indiana for a post-Christmas showdown. It is no secret that he is looking forward to the rematch.

“Some of those guys out there talk trash,” he recalled. “The beauty of it is that you have a game in a few days. What makes it even better is that you are playing the same team again.”





2025-12-23 13:31:00

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