Jaylen Brown's Incredible December: Keep an Eye on the Boston Celtics

Jaylen Brown faces a historic opportunity Tuesday night in Utah. If he surpasses 30 points again, he will become the first player in the history of the Boston Celtics to score 30 or more points in ten consecutive games, surpassing a legend like Larry Bird.

Brown's impact in December goes beyond the scoring figure. His offensive production is becoming more efficient, while at the same time, he is sustaining a team firmly positioned at the top of the Eastern Conference standings. Brown is averaging 32.7 points per game in December, the best average in the NBA at this point in the season. Furthermore, his three-point shooting has risen to 43.2 percent in the last nine games, a significant improvement from the 34.8 percent he shot in the first 20 games of the season. His true shooting percentage also reflects this progression, increasing from 57.8 to 64.3 percent during the same period.

On Monday, Brown received conflicting news. He was chosen as the Eastern Conference Player of the Week for the second time this month, but in the first All-Star voting publication, he surprisingly appeared in sixth place among the Eastern Conference guards. Brown himself described the process as a "public relations contest" on social media. Beyond that debate, the data supports his performance, especially in a context where opposing defenses focus on him while Jayson Tatum is recovering and Derrick White and Payton Pritchard are facing some efficiency issues.

According to BBall Index, Brown ranks in the 95th percentile in difficulty of matchups, indicating that he regularly faces the best defensive players. Nevertheless, few teams have managed to keep him below 30 points during this month.

One key aspect of his production is his ability to draw fouls. In December, he is attempting nine free throws per game, more than two attempts higher than at the start of the season when he averaged 6.8 in his first 20 games. Only five players in the entire NBA currently exceed nine free throw attempts per game: Luka Doncic, Deni Avdija, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Zion Williamson, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Overall for the season, Brown is already averaging 7.5 free throws per game and nearing the top 10 in the league. In the last nine games, he has also shot 80.2 percent from the line.

This frequency in free throws is directly related to his aggressiveness with the ball. Brown averages 19.1 drives per game in December according to NBA tracking data, a figure surpassed only by Avdija. In this aspect, he even ranks ahead of the reigning MVP, Gilgeous-Alexander. Efficiency accompanies his drives: Brown shoots 62.8 percent on his penetration attempts this month and generates points on 76.7 percent of these actions. For the entire season, he ranks third in the league with 17.3 drives per game, shooting 58 percent on resulting shots.

Advanced statistics reinforce his ability to draw contacts. Brown draws shooting fouls on 3.5 percent of Boston's possessions this season, placing him in the 99th percentile among forwards according to Cleaning the Glass. Only Kevin Durant receives more fouls of this type. Overall, Brown draws 7.2 fouls per 75 possessions, ranking in the 98th percentile of the NBA, ninth among over 500 players analyzed by BBall Index.

Regarding shooting, Brown maintains notable accuracy from mid-range. In the last nine games, he has converted 51 percent of his shots from that area, with 58 makes on 113 attempts, on pace to achieve the best percentage of his career. Even more striking is his performance near the rim: he has made 78 percent of his shots in the paint in that same stretch, a clear improvement from the 70 percent he shot in the first 20 games of the season.

His off-the-dribble game is another cornerstone of his production. Brown is tied for third in the NBA in points generated from pull-up jumpers in December, with 13.2 points per game, the same as Jalen Brunson. Only Doncic and Gilgeous-Alexander generate more points in these situations. This figure represents an increase from the 10.6 points per game he averaged earlier in the season.

There are some areas to adjust. His turnovers have slightly increased in December, partly due to a higher ball-handling volume. His defensive rebound percentage has also dropped in a context where Boston is using smaller lineups and needs more presence on the boards. At times, Brown has prioritized contesting the interior opponent over directly securing the rebound.

Celtics' Consistency

Nevertheless, the collective impact is evident. The Celtics lead the NBA in offensive rating in December with 124 points per 100 possessions. Their net rating of +11.1 is the best in the East and second in the league, trailing only Oklahoma City. Brown is one of the main contributors to the offensive consistency that keeps Boston among the strongest teams this season.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, El increíble mes de diciembre de Jaylen Brown: ojo a Boston Celtics