Could we see Jaylen Brown in the dunk contest?
For the first time in 10 years we might have a Boston Celtic in the 2017 NBA dunk contest. Jaylen Brown has already showcased that he can jump out of the gym, and seeing as it's his rookie season it's the perfect time to make a name for himself on a massive stage. Isaiah Thomas heard Brown talking about it during practice and has been on his case ever since. Via Chris Forsberg of ESPN:
"That’s when Isaiah got kinda excited about it, I guess," Brown said Thursday at the team's shootaround in Cleveland. "I don’t know, man. I haven’t really thought about it. [Thomas is] putting a little bit pressure on me. ... [Green] wants me to do it, too. He said he’s got some ideas for me. We got some time. We’ll think about it, I guess."
Isaiah has already started campaigning on Twitter:
Jaylen Brown in the 2017 slam dunk competition!!! We need him in it.
— Isaiah Thomas (@Isaiah_Thomas) December 28, 2016
It just so happens that Brown already has the perfect mentor in place. Not only was Gerald Green that last Celtic to enter the dunk contest back in 2007, he won the whole thing. Green has already told Jaylen he's there to help if he needs him:
"I told him if he enters it then I’ll give him some pointers, give him stuff that I think he could do. The dunk contest is different from when I was in it. It’s all about creativity and style and how you perform it or whatever. We’ll see how it goes if he wants to get in it or not."
"If [Brown] needs the help," Green said, "I’ll definitely be there for him."
Here's Gerald looking back at his 2007 dunk contest victory:
Brown thinks if he gets into the contest he'll be able to hang with the competetition. He even claims he can do Green's infamous cupcake dunk he did back in 2008:
"Can I do that? I bet I could do that," Brown said. "[The dunk contest is] all about preparation. If I put the game plan together, I probably could do it. At this point, I don’t know yet."
Looking at Jaylen's dunks from this year I'm pretty sure he'd have a good shot at the cupcake dunk, but he'll have his work cut out for him dethroning the reigning champion Zach LaVine if he defends his title. Here's the one from back in November when Brown murdered Nikola Vucevic on live TV:
WATCH: Celtics rookie Jaylen Brown explodes to the rim + dunks all over Nikola Vucevic: https://t.co/EO2yehvP6W pic.twitter.com/8Q0mI6cdGQ
— Dan Devine (@YourManDevine) December 8, 2016
Jaylen already has the right number on - Dee Brown's number 7 - so he won't have to tear of his jersey and reveal it like Gerald did.
Related: Dee Brown says he made up his famous "no-look dunk" on the spot
Photo Credit - Fernando Medina/NBAE/Getty Images
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