Jaylen Brown Ready To Learn From Brad Stevens
BOSTON (CBS) -- Just listen to Jaylen Brown talk, and you can see why the Boston Celtics fell in love with him.
His intelligence comes across with nearly every word he speaks. It's one of the many facets of Jaylen Brown that Danny Ainge coveted about the 19-year-old, and made the Celtics president of basketball operations comfortable enough to use the third overall pick on the Cal swingman.
It was a selection that has been met with some criticism, given the shortcomings in Brown's offensive game. While he can attack the basket with the best of them, his jump shot is a major concern after struggling from the floor in his one season at Cal. Brown shot 43 percent from the floor for the Golden Bears but just 29 percent from three-point range. In the final game of his college career, the small forward managed just four points (hitting just one of his six shot attempts) in a disappointing first-round loss to Hawaii in the NCAA Tournament.
The Celtics entered this offseason in desperate need of another scorer to join forces with point guard Isaiah Thomas. The hope was Ainge would be able to find that player at No. 3, or use the pick to make a trade for a bona fide scorer. When Brown's name was announced Thursday night, it was met with a smattering of boos from Celtics fans gathered at the TD Garden for a draft night party.
That's not the warm welcome a player drafted third overall would usually expect. But it hasn't changed Brown's feelings about Boston -- he's ready to help the Celtics immediately in whatever way he can.
"I'm glad I'm here. My thoughts at first were unsure, but I'm glad I'm here, I'm glad they made the decision and I'm glad they chose me. Now I'm super excited," he told WBZ-TV's Dan Roche with a huge smile on his face after being introduced by the team on Friday. "On a scale from 1-10, I'm about a 17 right now. At first I was a 12, then I told someone I was a 15 and now I'm a 17. I keep getting better and better the longer I'm here. The next time you ask me, we'll see where I'm at."
Brown isn't deaf to the criticism of his game, but he doesn't disagree with those doubters. He knows his shot needs to get better, and he's confident those woes are an issue he can fix with repetition and the tutelage of an NBA coaching staff. It's just one of the elements that will give him a chip on his shoulder as he enters his NBA career.
It's the critics questioning his passion for the game that really bothers him. That will provide his strongest drive to show people he belongs with the best players in the world.
"Shooting the ball 29 percent leaving college and now coming to the NBA, I can see why people would have concerns. That's fair. My passion for the game, that kind of hurts that people critique that," he said. "I don't think I'd be where I am if I didn't love basketball. Nobody loves it as much as I do. I've sacrificed so much and worked so hard to get here, that's kind of a punch to the gut when people critique that. That's OK, I'm going to continue to do what I do and I love to play this game. I'm going to show everybody."
Brown's athleticism and 6-foot-7 frame allowed him to guard just about anyone on the floor in the NCAA, and within a few years he thinks that will hold true against bigger players in the NBA. Those types of players are becoming more and more important in today's league, and something that makes him a perfect fit for Brad Stevens' defensive system in Boston.
"You look at the two best teams in the world, the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers, they have guys who can guard multiple positions. Just following that mold and applying that to the Boston Celtics would be helpful," he said. "I have a strong body but I have to get stronger. That will come with age. I'm 19 and I'm 225 pounds; by the time I'm 24, 25 I might be 250. Being able to guard a power forward would be pretty easy by then."
Having a coach like Stevens to guide him through his early days in the NBA will help. Brown discussed the importance of education in his family, and the passion he brought to the classroom in his only year at Cal, and believes that will fuel his growth on the professional level.
"I look at the basketball floor as a classroom, and Brad Stevens is my professor. I'm looking for him to teach me his ways," said Brown. "They're already a really good team so I'm just trying to add defensively, grab some rebounds and get out in transition, hit some opens shots and swing the ball around. Play the game the right way."
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