Jaylen Brown's Performance In The NBA Finals Set A Statement

Brown proved he can be an excellent two-way player in the league

It’s no secret that the NBA has reached an era that priorities high-scoring skills over simple defense. Point guards Luka Doncic and Damian Lillard are just two of many players who can pack a game with a huge amount of points and little defense.

However, Boston Celtics small forward Jaylen Brown is the most recent player who proved he can be impactful on both ends of the floor.

After playing one season at the University of Cailfornia, Berkeley, Brown came into the NBA as a player known for his elite defensive-tactics. In fact, he showed those exact skills in just his second year. During the 2017-18 season, he averaged one steal a game and finished tenth in voting for the Defensive Player of the Year award and seventh for Most Improved Player.

As his career went on, Brown improved his defense all while transforming into a respectable scorer. The 2020-21 season was arguably his best one as he averaged a then career-high 24.7 points, as well as a career-high 1.2 steals. During that campaign, he logged in a total of three 40-point games and six games containing three or more steals.

Brown’s two-way performance showed up hugely in this year’s Finals against the Dallas Mavericks. In the five games played, Brown averaged 20.8 points and a series-leading 1.6 steals. He even logged in a total of 104 points and a series-leading eight steals, three of those steals against Doncic.

Even though he has yet to win a defense-related award, Brown has formed himself into one of the league’s best two-way players.

Cory Nelson is a contributor to Fansided’s Wiz of Awes. He attended Northern Virginia Community College. He can be reached at corymckenzienelson@hotmail.com or follow him on Twitter @CKenzyNelson, Instagram @ckenzynelson, and Threads @ckenzynelson