Can Jaylen Brown develop a 'deadly' mid-post game?
If there's anything we can all be sure of about the third pick in the draft, Jaylen Brown, it's that he's going to work hard and tirelessly until he becomes something great.
During his one year at Cal and his Summer League play, we saw flashes of the potential greatness of Brown and, most notably, his knack for creating separation off the dribble. Being able to knock down shots after creating this separation could easily make Brown a legitimate scoring threat as he continues to develop this year and onward, even if it's in small doses.
If a recent interview in Sports Illustrated with Brown's trainer, Chris Johnson, is any indication, the rookie not only has a chance to become a good mid-post scorer but a "deadly" one if he stays dedicated to focusing on his footwork:
"Balance. His ability to play off the catch. His ability to get into an attack position and score efficiently off of one and two dribbles. You don't get a bunch of dribbles in the NBA. I also feel like Jaylen has an opportunity to be able to have a deadly mid-post game. Like other big guards -- right now Jimmy (Butler) is really deadly on his mid-post game."
In the interview Johnson also shares that the development of Brown is just as much about developing skill sets as it is about familiarity with team systems:
"We break it down. Boston, I don't want to put it all out there, but you know they they drive in the slots. They're a hard slot-driving team. We need him comfortable in the pick-and-roll, whether it's side pick-and-roll, angle pick-and-roll, or slot pick-and-roll. We need him making corner threes. We take the concepts of what Boston already has in place, and I build that into Jaylen's sessions. So by the time he gets to training camp, he's very familiar with not only the positions that they're going to put him in, but he's got moves and counters that will make him more comfortable as an offensive player."
Brown and mid-post scoring threat, Jimmy Butler, share trainers so it's only natural that Brown would want to emulate the same skill set as Butler.
Both players have very similar bodies and intangibles that are seemingly built for successful, even All-Star NBA careers, as Jimmy Butler has already shown with his back to back All-Star appearances.
The two have seemingly developed a very close friendship over the summer, if Butlers' Instagram page is any indication - working out together on beaches and driving together - and the relationship only looks to benefit Brown, as it seems to be already.
If Jaylen Brown is ever going to develop into the mid-post scoring threat his trainer believes he will become, having a mentor like Jimmy Butler by his side only figures to accelerate that process.
Photo credit: Kelley L Cox - USA Today Sports
Follow Luis Gonzalez on Twitter @Luisdgnyc
