Despite continued improvement, Jaylen Brown remains bench-bound
In an article for CelticsLife on November 12, 2018, I broached moving Jaylen Brown to the bench in favor of Marcus Smart. Brad Stevens went with that change soon thereafter with positive results. The time has come to move Jaylen back to the starting-5 with Marcus Morris going into the second unit.
My original argument for the lineup change in November was to inject Smart's energy into the game right out of the gate - and to get Jaylen more looks in the second unit. That all worked, but things have changed since then. Brown's offensive game has markedly improved, while Mook's offense has sagged.
Morris has the size advantage over Brown, and a very slight edge in rebounding. Neither player will currently be compared to Kyrie Irving in facilitation.
Jaylen Brown is getting better and better as a scorer when he gets into the middle of the paint.
— Tom Westerholm (@Tom_NBA) March 12, 2019
Jaylen is no longer the hesitant player we saw early this season. On a catch-and-shoot, he lets it fly. And his moves and finishes in the paint have really been apparent.
Jaylen Brown does stuff like this juuuuuust enough to make me wonder if there's another layer to his offense. pic.twitter.com/vpSeV2hal5
— #PGBetter (@AK98_NBA) March 12, 2019
I view Jaylen Brown as a player with skills that remain under wraps and need to be released. He has become a player with more poise and confidence. That should result in more looks, even on the first unit. Turn this young Jay loose, Brad. The time is right.
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Photo via Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images
