The Boston Celtics outlasted the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday, led by Jaylen Brown‘s fourth career triple-double. Brown finished with 19 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists, with coach Joe Mazzulla sharing the biggest improvement he has seen from his star forward.
In his postgame press conference after the Celtics’ 117-115 win, Mazzulla was happy with Brown’s growth as a player this season. The 2024 NBA Finals MVP turned into the No. 1 option on offense, with Jayson Tatum sidelined as he recovers from a torn Achilles tendon.
Mazzulla explained how Brown improved his decision-making when it comes to scoring the ball or making his teammates better.
“To me, it’s just having a great balance of understanding when it’s his time versus when it’s time to make a play. I think that’s been a huge growth of his, not just this year, but I think in the past as well. That’s what you want out of your best players. I think he takes just as much pride in watching someone else close the game as he does in closing it himself. You kind of saw those plays that he was able to make throughout the game,” Mazzulla said, via MassLive.com.
Brown struggled from the field, going 3-for-13 in the first three quarters. He didn’t take a single shot in the final period and started making plays for Payton Pritchard, who stole the show with 42 points on 22 shots.
Brown’s Advice for Pritchard
Payton Pritchard scored 15 of his 42 points in the fourth quarter, and Jaylen Brown wants to see more of it moving forward. Brown encouraged Pritchard after the game that he needs to be more aggressive, especially in clutch situations.
“You’ve got the ball, get people where you want ’em to go. Put people in the right spots, slow down, get everybody composed, just get a good shot. And being able to manipulate the game. And I think he did a good job of that tonight,” Brown said, via The Athletic.
It’s a big deal for a player like Pritchard to have the team’s first option on offense, giving him the green light to shoot. Brown, obviously, leads the Celtics in points per game at 28.4, with Pritchard in second place at 17.5 points.
Rudy Gobert Trolls Jaylen Brown
One of the biggest headlines coming out of the Celtics early in the season was Jaylen Brown’s viral hair spray. Brown has been covering up his head, but the spray has accidentally caused stains on opposing players’ jerseys and shirts.
After Boston’s 119-115 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday, Rudy Gobert seemingly trolled Brown by pointing to his shaved head. Gobert possibly encouraged the Celtics forward to let it go and join him in the bald club.
The gesture garnered a laugh from Brown, who jokingly blamed the city of Boston for making him lose his hair before he was 30 years old, as reported by CBS News. He also called it karma for making fun of balding people when he was younger.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Joe Mazzulla Gets Real on Jaylen Brown’s Biggest Improvement appeared first on Heavy Sports.