Joe Mazzulla Assesses Jaylen Brown’s Evolution

Eric Jay Santos | May 7, 2024

Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

On Tuesday, the Boston Celtics picked up a 120-95 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference Semifinals series. Jaylen Brown registered a team-high 32 points in the dominant victory. 

Per Inside The Celtics, Joe Mazzulla believes Brown has evolved as a player. 

“Yeah, he takes a ton of pride in just growing as a player. Every year, every game, every day. He spends a lot of time on it. He’s not afraid to go after something that he knows that he can improve on, which I think is huge for his growth mindset. And like you said, he has evolved.”

Mazzulla explained Brown’s areas of growth. 

“His ability to pick and choose his spots, when to play in transition. He had a couple times when he scored in transition, and two plays later, he slowed it down, went into the pick-and-roll, and made the right play. I think the growth with him, even if he scores six or eight in a row, he gets into the paint, and [makes the] pass [on the] next one. So, he’s grown as a player, and it’s helped us, and he’s playing big stretches for us. It’s important.”

Game 2 is scheduled for Thursday, May 9 at TD Garden. Tip-off is at 7:00 p.m. EST.