Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown led all scorers in Sunday’s 111-89 road rout of the Los Angeles Lakers with 32 points, and his performance prompted LeBron James to speak up for him as an NBA MVP candidate. While Brown ranks fourth in the league in scoring and is the face of a surprisingly successful Celtics squad, he stands behind numerous stars in the award race, and that is a reality that James cannot get behind.
This has been a career year for Brown, whose 29.2 points per game are by far a personal high and who leads the league in field goal attempts per game.
“JB is playing great basketball, man,” James said after the rivalry game. “This whole MVP thing, I don’t understand why his name is not getting talked about some, as well. Nobody gave them a shot to start the season. He’s averaging, what, 30? Just under 30. It’s a popularity contest sometimes.”
The only knock against Brown’s production is that he is less efficient than some of his elite counterparts. His usage rate has spiked this year as he flourished into the Celtics’ ringleader with Jayson Tatum out with a torn Achilles. Because his increased workload is such a large catalyst behind his elevated play, he ranks No. 12 in the NBA’s efficiency metric, well behind the premier MVP contenders.
That, and Brown’s lack of superstar pedigree, are likely the most to blame for his sixth-place standing in the MVP race, per FanDuel odds.
NBA MVP odds
Jaylen Brown’s value goes beyond career-best scoring output
While Brown cannot compete with the likes of Jokić, Dončić and Gilgeous-Alexander from an efficiency standpoint, the value he brings to the Celtics is undeniably important for a team that seeks to contend in what was supposed to be a down year.
In past years he was a prominent wingman to Tatum, but this season, Brown has proven an ability to put a franchise on his shoulders and lead it to championship contention. The Celtics are second in the Eastern Conference, while preseason projected win totals suggested they should have been in firm danger of missing the playoffs.
“I think he’s just using motivation of a lot of people saying that they’re going to have a down year because of JT being out, them losing Jrue [Holiday],” James said. “Al [Horford] leaves. [Kristaps] Porziņģis leaves. Their whole championship team pretty much is revamped. He uses that as motivation to keep them afloat. They’re playing great basketball, and it’s because of him and the rest of those guys. He’s taken that next step.”
What’s more, Brown has been highly available, playing 51 of the Celtics’ 56 games. That is more than any of the MVP candidates who stand ahead of him on the odds board.