Jaylen Brown has been enjoying a stellar start to the 2025-26 NBA season. The Boston Celtics forward has stepped into a primary offensive role for Joe Mazzulla’s team due to Jayson Tatum‘s injury-forced absence.
Brown’s production has helped establish the Celtics as a top-three team in the Eastern Conference. As a result, he’s currently ranked seventh on the NBA’s MVP ladder and appears to be a shoo-in for the All-Star game and potentially an All-NBA team.
On Wednesday, Dec. 31, Brown took to social media to remind the world of the level he’s currently playing at. The Georgia native declared himself the best two-way talent in the NBA.
“Best 2-way player in the game,” Brown posted on X.
Throughout his career, Brown has always been viewed as a two-way talent. He’s one of the best point-of-attack wing defenders in the league. And now, he’s proving that he can shoulder the burden of leading a team’s offense. Furthermore, he’s leading the NBA in mid-range field-goal percentage, proving that he’s a genuine three-level scoring option.
In 30 games this season, Brown is averaging 29.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5 assists, shooting 50.5% from the field and 37% from three-point range. However, according to Dunks and Threes, his defense hasn’t been significantly impactful this year, with a -0.5 Defensive Estimated Plus/Minus, placing him in the 32nd percentile among forwards.
Joe Mazzulla Pinpoints Brown’s Underrated Skill
When speaking to the media following the Celtics’ 129-119 win over the Utah Jazz on Dec. 30, Joe Mazzulla praised Brown for his ability to read the floor. Mazzulla pinpointed Brown’s passing and playmaking as one of his more underrated skills.
“One of the things he does great is pick his spots on when to truly impact the game, and then when to either be a facilitator or a playmaker or empower the people around him,” Mazzulla said during his postgame press conference. “I think it’s kind of underrated as to what he does there.”
This season, the Celtics are operating a guard-led offense. Derrick White leads the team with 80 touches per game. Payton Pritchard is second with 68.1 and Brown is third with 67.4.
Touches are the biggest indicator of playmaking load. Nevertheless, Brown has seen a steady increase in his assist numbers in recent years, with this season being a career high for him. However, his 3.6 turnovers per night are still an issue that needs to be addressed.
Celtics’ Legend Brown Should Be in MVP Race
During a recent appearance on the “No Fouls Given” podcast, former Celtics champion Paul Pierce claimed that Brown isn’t being considered among the MVP front-runners because he plays for Boston.
“Everybody hates the Celtics,” Pierce said. “No, seriously, why isn’t he? Nobody had the Celtics being in third place in the East with no Tatum. The guy’s putting up 30 consistently; there still hasn’t been nobody talking about him…But this guy has to get some sort of recognition. I mean, this guy is a 30-point walking bucket, and he should be in there.”
While Pierce’s comments are fair, Brown faces stern competition for a spot in the MVP race. The NBA is blessed with elite talent at every position and multiple players are producing career years this season. However, if Brown is the best two-way player the NBA has to offer this season, his name should certainly be floated in the MVP race as we get deeper into the season.
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