Jaylen Brown has been turning heads this season, elevating the Boston Celtics into serious NBA title contenders. His performance has been so impressive that even his peers are making a case for his MVP candidacy.
This season has been transformative for the five-time All-Star. Max Kellerman recently stirred the pot by suggesting that Brown has surpassed perennial MVP candidate Luka Doncic. Kellerman's argument isn't about talent but rather Brown's superior approach to the game.
Kellerman stated on the Game Over podcast, "Because Jaylen Brown is not as talented as Luka, he is forced, if he wants to be a great player, to play the right way... Because he's not as good, he has become better. The pressure to become a great player forced him to be a better player than Luka."
While Kellerman's perspective is intriguing, it doesn't quite hold up. Brown is undeniably excellent, but claiming he's better than Doncic is a stretch.
When you look at both the eye test and the stats, Luka Doncic has the edge over Jaylen Brown.
Kellerman's argument took a winding path, likening Doncic to "a scrambling quarterback who hasn't developed pocket awareness" and critiquing his interactions with officials and defensive lapses.
In contrast, Brown was lauded for his hustle, willingness to play within the system, defensive intensity, and passing. These are all valid praises.
Ultimately, this was more a critique of Doncic's style than genuine high praise for Brown. It’s the kind of commentary that hints, "Wouldn't it be great if Luka played like that?" While interesting, it doesn't knock Doncic down a peg behind Brown.
This isn't to diminish Brown's achievements. He's been phenomenal. However, the argument lacks substance.
In traditional metrics, Doncic leads in points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, three-pointers, and free throws. Advanced analytics also favor Doncic across the board. According to NBA.com, Doncic improves the Lakers by 2.2 points per 100 possessions when on the floor, whereas Brown's presence sees the Celtics' net rating drop by 7.9 points.
This debate is sure to spark conversation-I'm discussing it right now-and if it brings more attention to Brown, he's certainly earned it. But even the most devoted Celtics fans might have to concede that this take is a bit of a reach.