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ORLANDO — From the beginning of the season, Jaylen Brown maintained that figuring out the process of winning would be a challenge.
“It takes time,” Brown said after the Celtics’ loss to the Detroit Pistons, which knocked them down to an 0-3 start. “It does.”
And, through 10 games, Boston has struggled more than at any point throughout Brown’s NBA tenure: they’re 4-6, good for the Eastern Conference’s 5th-worst record. They’re last in pace, assist percentage, and free-throw rate. They have the 7th-lowest scoring offense in the NBA.
Despite that, the players don’t feel their record reflects their potential; Payton Pritchard said he feels like the Celtics should be 6-4, having dropped close, winnable games against the Philadelphia 76ers on opening night and against the Utah Jazz on Monday.
“It could be completely different if we won two games that we were supposed to,” Pritchard said after Friday’s 123-110 loss to the Orlando Magic
That’s the challenge with a new roster inundated with more inexperienced players: the mistakes mount, and the margin of error is slim. Winnable games become much harder to win when young guys with limited NBA minutes are the ones who are executing.
“That’s the fine line between where you’re at and where you could be,” Mazzulla said. ”It’s very, very simply just the process of 10 to 15 possessions. I know I talk about it a lot, and it sounds as if I’m just saying it, but no, that’s the truth. 10 to 15 possessions are the difference between a win and a loss. And, we’re learning that. And it’s the same thing. Last night, there were maybe five possessions a quarter that dictated that game — you get it to four, they go on a 6-0 run. You get it tied, you put them to the free throw line on tendencies. You go up two, you give up transition after a make. Those 10 to 15 possessions —more times than not, it’s the difference between winning and losing. It’s the difference between the record that you have and the record that you could have. And so that’s the process of it: how can we be great at those 10 to 15 things that really dictate the difference of the game.”
Brown has helped put the Celtics in a position where it’s even come down to those few possessions. He’s taken the new players under his wing, relishing a leadership role and the adversity this season would inevitably bring.
“He’s always been one of the most supportive guys on the team,” Queta said. “His demeanor is always great. He’s always going to try and push us to the next level.”
Through 10 games, as the Celtics continue to figure out that elusive process of winning, Jaylen Brown has established himself among the league’s top performers. He’s averaging 28.1 points on 53.5% shooting, along with 4.9 rebounds and 4.2 assists. He’s the league’s 9th-leading scorer, and he’s scored 30 or more points six times this season — tied for second most in the NBA (only trailing reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander).
“He’s taking his game to the next level — the way he’s scoring the ball, the way he’s making plays for others as well,” Neemias Queta said. “He’s such a threat getting downhill that teams are starting to load up the head and shift, making the right reads, getting guys open. Yeah, man, he’s a dawg, even on the defensive end as well.”
Brown hasn’t expressed any frustrations with the Celtics’ inexperience or roster shortcomings this season. His only outward point of frustration has been the officials.
After Friday’s loss to the Magic, Brown complained about the officiating, seemingly insinuating that his previous critiques of the refereeing after the Jazz loss cost him in this one.
“I think in the fourth quarter, I think the officials made their point,” Brown said. “So I get it. I’ll keep my mouth closed.”
Mazzulla is unconcerned with Brown’s critiques, though he noted he supports Brown and agrees with him. The Celtics’ head coach doesn’t believe Brown’s officiating concerns have impacted his play.
“He’s playing well,” Mazzulla said.“I think if he wasn’t playing well, that would be a signal that his head’s not on straight. So I don’t think those two things are correlated — he’s playing very well, and doing what we need to do.”
Still, so far this season, Brown’s offensive prowess hasn’t been enough to lift the Celtics to the record they desire.
Alongside the four-time All-Star, three other Celtics are scoring in the double-figures: Payton Pritchard, who is averaging 16.5 points per game; Derrick White, who is averaging 14.3; and Anfernee Simons, who is averaging 14. The Celtics’ three-point percentage is the fourth-worst in the NBA, in large part due to concurrent three-point shooting slumps by Pritchard (26.7%) and White (26.4%), the team’s two highest-volume sharpshooters. White is shooting 33.3% from the field, his least efficient season so far.
Brown still feels like he has to do more. And, after Friday’s loss, he wrestled with some missed fourth-quarter looks.
“A couple of shots that I wish I could have back — settled maybe a little bit from three,” he said. “Maybe I could have gotten downhill a little bit more. But, if you’re getting downhill, and they’re not giving you those that whistle, then it looks like a bad possession. Maybe I could not settle a little bit more, but I’m also trying to get to the free throw line.”
Still, so far through 10 games, he has undoubtedly been the Celtics’ best source of offense. He’s shooting 60.7% on two-pointers and getting to the line more times per game (5.8 free throw attempts) than the next two Celtics combined. Perhaps most remarkable is that Brown’s still not physically at 100% — he dunked for the first time all season on Friday night as he continues to recover from a hamstring tweak he suffered in preseason.
“That’s crazy,” he said when he learned of that uncharacteristic reality.
“As the season goes on, I’ll feel better, more strong, and it’ll be some more dunks coming soon, I promise you.”
The Celtics will continue to follow Brown’s lead as the learning curve continues. That’s a reality Brown embraces.
“He’s making a lot of big-time plays for us,” Queta said. “So we just got to keep on relying on him, leaning on him, and making his life easier.”
