Celtics star Jaylen Brown gets intriguing 'MVP' take

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The Boston Celtics are looking to become the first team to repeat as NBA champions since the Golden State Warriors in 2017 and 2018, and they will need both of their stars to be operating at a high level in order to do so. Jayson Tatum is widely regarded as the Celtics’ best player, but Brown stole all of the headlines during Boston’s title run last season.

Brown took home the Finals MVP award after a stellar final series against the Dallas Mavericks, whom the Celtics closed out in five games. Heading into 2024-25, Brown could be a dark horse to take home the regular season MVP, but will have to overcome a lot of internal factors according to Skip Bayless on the Pat Bev Pod.

"It's hard for me to pick against the Celtics this year… And it's not because of Jayson Tatum. It's because of his running mate, Jaylen Brown. He's an MVP candidate who can't win MVP because of Jayson Tatum."

— Skip Bayless

(via @PatBevPod)pic.twitter.com/GyreQjDgaW

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 18, 2024

“It’s hard for me to pick against the Celtics this year, and it’s not because of Jayson Tatum,” Bayless said. “It’s because of his running mate Jaylen Brown who obviously took over the playoffs last year. He is an MVP candidate who can’t win MVP because of Jayson Tatum, and because of their supporting cast. That team is a behemoth because it has two superstars who barely sort of make peace with each other and coexist, barely. Their championship belongs more to Jaylen Brown than to Jayson Tatum. … The reason I think they will go back to back is Jaylen Brown much more than Jayson Tatum.”

Jaylen Brown seeking another leap after first title

Jaylen Brown entered rare air last season when he won the Finals MVP during the Celtics’ first championship run since 2008, and he’s now looking to take the jump into the truly elite tier of players.

Brown is often looked at as the second star for the Celtics and a supporting star in the broader NBA landscape, but he’s not mentioned within the top 10 or so players in the league. During last year’s playoffs, you could certainly make the argument that Brown was one of the 10 best players in the world as he contributed on both ends as Boston cruised through the playoffs with little stress.

Now, Brown can build off of that in 2024-25 as the Celtics seek another title. The former Cal star has tightened up his major weaknesses that have hampered him during previous playoff runs where the Celtics were eliminated, and now has a more well-rounded offensive game to bring to the table.

Brown’s newfound ability to drive the ball both ways effectively was a major improvement last season from the Celtics’ playoff losses to the Warriors in 2022 and the Heat in 2023. He improved as a playmaker and a floor reader while cutting down his turnovers and improving as a finisher around the basket.

There are a lot of shots to go around on the talented Celtics roster, but Brown has a chance to establish himself as the alpha of the offense if he keeps up his playoff form.

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