Story by
Joe Mazzulla describes unique change in Celtics star after Cavs win
- Story by
- Joe Mazzulla describes unique change in Celtics star after Cavs win
Jaylen Brown helped lead the undermanned Celtics to an impressive upset win on Sunday night, all without attempting a shot in the fourth quarter. The All-Star finished with his first triple-double of the season in the 117-115 road win while posting 19 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists. However, his struggles with his shot (3-of-13 from the field) turned him into more of a playmaker for others down the stretch, including teammate Payton Pritchard (game-high 42 points).
A willingness to set up others in those crucial spots while normally being the No. 1 option for the offense this year stuck out to Joe Mazzulla after the win.
Advertisement
“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,” Mazzulla told reporters in Cleveland via NBC Sports Boston. “And I think that’s been a huge growth of his, not just this year, but I think in the past as well. And that’s what you want out of your best players. And I think he takes just as much pride in watching someone else close the game as he does in closing it himself. And you kind of saw those plays that he was able to make throughout the game.”
With Brown playing decoy, he helped set the stage for Pritchard to score 15 fourth quarter points as the veteran guard stepped up his scoring with Derrick White (calf) and Neemias Queta (ankle) sitting out the back-to-back.
“He’s our best player,” Pritchard said. “So I think what he’s capable of doing is he can affect the game in different ways on different nights. You’ve seen the night before, he had 41 (points). He can put on a scoring display. And then he can have a night like tonight and have a triple-double and affect the game, which is even more impressive because he really missed a lot of shots that he usually hits. So imagine he hits those shots, he’s looking at a 30-ball, triple-double. So the growth and everything, it’s impressive.”
Brown’s ability to pick his spots on a night-to-night basis has helped push Boston higher into the East playoff picture just 20 games into the season. The Celtics currently sit at 11-9, just one game out of the top-6 in the wide open conference. Boston already has tallied multiple wins over the Magic, Cavaliers and Pistons thus far, making them look like a team that can hold its own against elite opponents despite missing Jayson Tatum .
Advertisement
Brown’s on pace to post career highs in points and assists this season despite averaging just 33 minutes per game, silencing those who wondered whether Brown could handle a bigger role without Tatum.
Brown and the Celtics will look to continue their momentum on Tuesday night when they face off against the Knicks in a rematch of the Eastern Conference Semifinals at TD Garden.
More Celtics content
Read the original article on MassLive . Add MassLive as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
