Jaylen Brown on tempo to interrupt Celtics scoring data as he chases down Larry Chook

Late Sunday evening in Portland, Jaylen Brown used a display screen from Neemias Queta and dribbled right into a pull-up 3-pointer from the highest of the important thing. Earlier than he might land, he was clobbered by Donovan Clingan and earned a visit to the free throw line. 

As soon as Brown picked himself up off the bottom, he stepped to the road and made the primary free throw to achieve 30 factors for the ninth consecutive sport, tying Larry Chook’s report for essentially the most consecutive 30-point video games in Boston Celtics historical past. 

The Celtics went on to lose to the Path Blazers however not for a scarcity of making an attempt from Brown, who completed with 37 factors, seven rebounds and 4 assists on 14 of 23 from the sector for his nineteenth 30-point sport of the season. Solely reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (23) has extra. 

With Jayson Tatum sidelined indefinitely because of a torn Achilles tendon, Brown has taken on the lead function for the Celtics and is placing collectively the very best season of his profession: 29.7 factors, 6.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists on 50.6/37/77.9 capturing splits. He is sixth within the league in scoring, averaging profession highs in scoring, assists and field-goal proportion, and in 29 video games, he is led the Celtics in scoring 24 occasions. 

Regardless of Tatum’s harm and an offseason exodus, Brown has nearly single-handedly ensured that the Celtics will not be taking a niche 12 months. The loss to the Blazers snapped a four-game successful streak for the Cs, who’re in third place within the Japanese Convention at 19-12. (By way of 31 video games final season, they have been 23-8.)

Brown is nicely on his method to his fifth All-Star look and his second All-NBA choice. If he retains this up, MVP votes and a First Group honor aren’t out of the query. His particular person brilliance this season is well-known at this level, although, and his course of is not any completely different than it was earlier within the season. 

A extra attention-grabbing query, then, is the place Brown’s marketing campaign might rank among the many finest scoring seasons in Celtics historical past. Forward of the Celtics’ matchup with the Utah Jazz on Tuesday, when Brown has a great opportunity to report his tenth consecutive 30-point sport, let’s take a more in-depth look and the way he stacks up. 

Scoring common

At the beginning, we have now to take a look at fundamental scoring common. Brown is on tempo to change into the fifth participant in Celtics historical past to common not less than 27 factors, becoming a member of Larry Chook, John Havlicek, Jayson Tatum and Isaiah Thomas. His 29.7 factors per sport would rank third on the franchise’s single-season scoring record. 

There is a very actual likelihood that Brown couldn’t solely find yourself becoming a member of Tatum as the one gamers in Celtics historical past to common 30 factors, however surpass his franchise report of 30.1 factors per sport. 

Proportion of group factors scored

Brown has been a one-man band for a lot of this season. The Celtics should not have one other 20-point scorer; Derrick White and Payton Pritchard are the one different gamers averaging not less than 15 factors. In video games that he is performed this season, Brown has scored 25.7% of the Celtics’ factors. Total — he is missed two video games — he is scored 23.8% of their complete factors: 861 of 3612. 

When it comes to proportion of group factors scored in a season, nobody in Celtics historical past can match Paul Pierce, who holds the 4 highest seasons. He scored a shocking 27.1% of the Celtics’ factors in 2002, and was above 26% 4 occasions; nobody else has ever been above 25%.

Apparently, Brown is barely tied for ninth on the Celtics’ all-time record of most proportion of group factors scored in a season, although that has loads to do with the proliferation of offense in recent times. The Celtics are averaging 116.5 factors per sport this season, in comparison with 96.4 factors per sport in 2002, when Paul Pierce scored 27.1% of the group’s factors. 

Effectivity

Arguably essentially the most spectacular side of Brown’s season is that he is married quantity and effectivity: he is averaging profession highs in shot makes an attempt per sport (21.5), field-goal proportion (50.6%) and true capturing proportion (59.8%). 

Of the eight seasons in Celtics historical past throughout which a participant scored not less than 27 factors per sport, Brown’s field-goal proportion ranks fourth and his true capturing proportion ranks fifth. He additionally has, by far, the best utilization charge amongst that group at 36.2%. (Utilization charge is unavailable for Havlicek’s seasons.)

Excessive-scoring video games

Brown has 19 30-point video games this season and has crossed the 40-point mark 3 times already. He’s on tempo to smash his earlier single-season profession highs of twenty-two 30-point video games and three 40-point video games. 

Jayson Tatum holds the Celtics report for 30-point video games in a season with 42, and there have been eight cases of a participant recording not less than 30 30-point video games in a season. Brown shouldn’t have any drawback becoming a member of that membership and is, in reality, on tempo to surpass Tatum’s mark. 

Tatum and Larry Chook collectively maintain the Celtics report for 40-point video games in a season with 11, and there have been 10 cases of a participant recording not less than 5 40-point video games in a season. Brown ought to simply be a part of that membership too, although he has some work to do to catch Tatum and Chook. 

Brown’s profession excessive is 50 factors, a mark he hasn’t but reached this season. Tatum (2021 and 2022) is the one participant in Celtics historical past with a number of 50-point video games in a season. 

The Celtics’ single-game scoring report is 60 factors, held by each Chook (1985) and Tatum (2021). 

League comparability

Brown is presently sixth within the league in scoring at 29.7 factors per sport. Relationship again to Ed Macauley, who completed third within the league in scoring in 1951 with 20.4 factors per sport, there have been 29 cases of a Celtics participant ending within the prime six within the league in that division. 

No Celtics participant has ever led the league in scoring, however Chook (1985), Havlicek (1971) and Bob Cousy (1954 and 1955) have all completed second, whereas Thomas (2017), Pierce (2002), and Macauley (1951, 1952 and 1954) have all completed third. 

Brown is not going to catch Luka Dončić (33.7 factors per sport) or Gilgeous-Alexander (32) for a top-two spot, however Tyrese Maxey (30.7) in third is inside placing distance. 

How does Brown stack up?

Successfully evaluating eras and circumstances is notoriously troublesome. 

Cousy completed second within the league in scoring at 19.2 factors per sport in 1954, which is the one hundred and fifth highest-scoring season in Celtics historical past. 

The three-point line did not exist when Havlicek performed and was nonetheless a little-used weapon throughout Chook’s heyday. Although extensively thought to be among the finest shooters ever, Chook solely took three 3s per evening throughout his finest scoring season (1988) whereas averaging almost 30 factors per sport. Brown, by comparability, is taking 5.6 per sport. What might Chook have executed if he was inspired to shoot extra 3s?

Pierce by no means cracked 27 factors per sport and solely has two of the top-15 scoring seasons in Celtics historical past, largely as a result of he got here up through the NBA‘s “dead-ball” period, then needed to share touches with Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen later in his profession. Contemplating the circumstances, you may make the case that his 2002 season, when he scored 27.1% of the Celtics’ complete factors (a single-season franchise report) and completed third within the league in scoring is without doubt one of the finest regardless that he “solely” averaged 26.1 factors per sport. 

And what to make of Thomas. Does he deserve further credit score for his magical 2016-17 marketing campaign as a result of he is solely 5-foot-9 (and that is likely to be beneficiant)? His 28.9 factors per sport that season are by far essentially the most in a single season in NBA historical past by a participant shorter than 6 toes. 

Here’s a compilation of the 5 finest scoring seasons in Celtics historical past by common (in addition to Pierce’s 2002 marketing campaign out of respect), and the way they examine.

At a sure level, private choice takes over in rankings of trivia like the very best scoring season in Celtics historical past. There is no good reply regardless of how lengthy you stare on the numbers, learn modern accounts and watch the accessible footage. 

Whether or not you’d have Brown third or fifth or sixth, there isn’t any debate that he’s placing collectively one of the crucial spectacular scoring campaigns within the historical past of this storied franchise.