Sheamus drops an apparent truth bomb on Jailen Brown MVP

ESPN Insider Shams Charania gave emphatic praise for Jailen Brown on the last episode of The Pat McAfee Show, setting Boston Celtics star in the NBA’s MVP conversation as the regular season enters its second half.

Charania credited Brown with elevating Boston’s performance amid injuries and roster changes, highlighting the impact of his production and leadership. He pointed to Brown’s individual accolades and team success as justification for MVP consideration, especially as the Celtics remain near the top of the Eastern Conference standings despite extended time without Jayson Tatum.

“The Celtics surprised everybody. You’ve got to give Jaylen Brown a lot of credit. You think about the MVP candidates, he’s got to be there. His game, he’s going to be an All-NBA player, he’s already been voted an All-Star starter. So what he’s been able to do to push this team to a top three seed in the Eastern Conference in Toms.”

Brown (29) is in the midst of the most productive season of his career in his 10th year in the league. In 40 games, he is averaging 29.8 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.8 assists and one steal per game, while shooting 48.8 percent from the field and 36.4 percent from three-point range. He is logging 34.1 minutes per game and has helped lead the way Boston Celtics to 27-16 record, positioning them as the #2 seed in the Eastern Conference.

“Jaylen Brown has to be in the MVP conversation because of what he’s done with that Celtics team.”

Boston could be a team looking to make a move before the trade deadline” ~ @ShamsCharania #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/3Brhpavekf

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShov) January 23, 2026

Shams links MVP Jaylen Brown’s rise to the Celtics’ aggression at the trade deadline

Charania also addressed Boston’s broader outlook, noting that the Celtics are expected to be active before the Feb. 5 NBA trade deadline. He characterized the Eastern Conference as competitive but unsettled, with several teams jockeying for position as the season progresses.

“And we’ll see if and when Jayson Tatum exactly when he comes back for the second half of this NBA season, but when I look at this Eastern Conference, I think of Boston, I think of Detroit, and you still have to put New York in there, even though they’ve had this lull of the last 12-13 games where they’ve lost nine of their last 12 games, so Philveland has some pretty strong talent at C. Detroit has been by far the best team in that conference so far from a regular season perspective, but you see what Boston has: they’ve got talent, they’ve done it before, so you’ve got to put them out there.

Boston’s roster construction could also change as the deadline approaches. Charania suggested the organization could reverse course on recent cost-cutting moves and instead look to add pieces to bolster its playoff push.

“You look at this trade deadline, the schedule is starting to change … because the trade deadline is less than two weeks away and Boston could be a team where going into the year it’s like, ‘okay, are they going to shed some salary?’ We know they cut Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday last offseason, who else will they cut this season? Will it be Anferni Simmons? Will it be Peyton Pritchard? But those guys are essential parts of this team. I could see Boston going the other way and maybe adding a player or maybe another big man. They’ve been in the market trying to land a big starting center, potentially so they’ll be aggressive in moving the needle. They have assets, they have contracts to play with.”

For now, Brown remains the focal point as the Celtics continue their schedule. Boston begins a doubleheader Friday night against the Brooklyn Nets (12-30) at 7:30 PM ET, with Brown carrying the momentum from an MVP-caliber first half of the season.