The Celtics are a couple of weeks away from starting the preseason against the Charlotte Hornets, and for the first time in a long time the team has no problems to worry about. Check that, there may be one area of concern before the C’s hit the parquet in the garden. It was reported that Jaylen Brown, who many consider a key member of the Celtics future was looking for an extension before his rookie contract ends at the end of the upcoming season. The extension sought by number 7 was five years and a modest $170 million dollars.
A contract of that amount would put Brown in the top fifteen of annual salaries, the question the Celtics and fans have to ask is will Brown be worth around $34 million a year? IF he is, then the green team will have to do some roster maneuvering starting with Gordon Hayward who will make $34.1 million next season and the C’s deciding between the two players make sense as they were fighting for playing time with Hayward getting more starts than Brown last season. Even down the road in future years, there will be other team decisions that will be made. Will the team choose Jayson Tatum or Brown? Many will believe Tatum whose rookie deal ends in 2021, will seek a contract comparable to what JB is looking for, and if that’s the case than the Celtics would have around $104 million dedicated to three players which could hurt when building and filling out future rosters.
Game play wise, this year will be very important for Brown. During the FIBA Basketball World Cup, Jaylen averaged 7.9 ppg and 4.3 rebounds per game however a bright spot potentially for the Celtics this upcoming season is that Brown shot 35.3% from the three point line and handled the ball very well which was something that wasn’t the case for most of the 2nd half of the season last year and the postseason.
Brown took advantage of his time on the floor during the 2017-18 season. Averaging 15 points/5 rebounds a game during Gordon Hayward’s absence and boosted the Celtics to game seven of the Eastern Conference Finals. When Hayward came back, Brown was relegated back to the bench which may have hurt his ego with only 25 starts compared to 70 the year prior. In the playoffs in 2018, Brown averaged 18 ppg and 5 rpg while in 2019 he averaged 14 and 6. If three’s and mid-range jumpers can be sunk then we could be talking about a top 15 player and not just salary-wise.
This upcoming season obviously is the most important one for Brown. He needs to prove not just to Boston, but to the rest of the league that he can be THE guy meaning no arguing with teammates during the huddle unlike what happened in Miami between Brown and Marcus Morris. Being THE guy also means not showboating after a big dunk and still being down by 15 points like the regular season game against the Milwaukee Bucks. Initial reports have surfaced saying Brown and Kemba Walker have been getting along very well and Brown’s comradery with the younger players has been good. If that continues to be the case, teams (including the Celtics) would be more inclined to give Brown the payday he’s looking for.
I don’t think Jaylen Brown will be Kyrie Irving as far as talking about the contract is concerned and disruption wise but right now, he’s (Brown) not worth $170 million over the next five years. Realistically, Brown with what I’ve seen should see a payday worth 5 years and $100 million. If he thinks he’s worth more, time to put up or settle.
-John Luck (@jluck_89)