This season with the Boston Celtics is Jaylen Brown’s first time in a starring role for the franchise, and so far, he’s taken advantage of the increased usage.
Most recently, Brown was named the NBA Player of the Week for the Eastern Conference, coming in a strong stretch in which he led the Celtics to an undefeated week to get their record to 15-9, third in the East.
From December 1-7, Brown averaged 34 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game on 53.8% shooting from the field, 47.1% from three, and 88.9% from the free-throw line. He led the Celtics to wins over the New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers, and Toronto Raptors. Boston also beat the Washington Wizards this week, though Brown didn’t suit up, reportedly dealing with an illness.
Jamal Murray of the Denver Nuggets won the NBA Player of the Week award for the Western Conference.
Jaylen Brown Player of the Week
With Jayson Tatum out with an Achilles injury, the Celtics have been Brown’s team this year. The departures of Al Horford, Jrue Holiday, and Kristaps Porzingis should also be mentioned, yet still, all of the wing’s stats this season are career-highs, and he’s leading the franchise to a strong record.
Brown started the week off with a season-high 42 points on 66.7% shooting, along with four rebounds and four assists against the Knicks, the team that ended Boston’s season in the 2025 NBA Playoffs. He led the game in scoring and had the best +/- at a +15 as the Celtics got revenge on their East rivals.
“The performance marked Brown’s 14th career 40-point game, third of the season, and second in four days,” the team wrote in a statement.
The Cal grad then sat out against the Wizards with an illness, but then put up back-to-back 30-point games against the Lakers and Raptors. He also finished with eight rebounds in both games, dishing out eight assists against Los Angeles and five against Toronto.
Brown has been on an absolute tear recently, scoring at least 20 points in just one of his last ten games (19 points vs. the Cleveland Cavaliers), while the Celtics won all but one of those contests.
Celtics Playing Well While Tatum Recovers
The idea of the Celtics being in the playoffs seemed unlikely after Tatum’s massive injury against the Knicks in May. Brown was always expected to have the biggest role of his career, but without their main superstar and much of the supporting cast from their 2024 Finals win, expectations were pretty low.
But so far, head coach Joe Mazzulla hasn’t made that the case, with Brown, Derrick White, Payton Pritchard, Anfernee Simons, and Neemias Queta leading Boston to the third-best record in the East.
All of the aforementioned players, barring Simons, are averaging career-highs in scoring, and a quarter of the way through the season, the Celtics rank fifth in net rating and second in offensive rating.
Though the team’s success is clear, after the latest win against the Raptors, Mazzulla said his squad moving up in the standings means nothing to him.
“No, it doesn’t mean anything. It doesn’t show you anything,” Mazzulla said after the latest win. “There are ebbs and flows along the way in the league. At the end of the day, we have a clear identity of who we are.”
Though uncertain, a Tatum return late in the season could be looming, but Boston might not need to rush back their franchise star with how well they are performing with Brown at the helm.
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