Jaylen Brown has been fantastic since returning from a hamstring injury on December 13, and his fine play could help turn the Celtics’ season around.
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It’s been a bumpy ride for the Celtics all season, but Wednesday’s win over the hot Cleveland Cavaliers sent the C team back to 16-16 in pre-season ahead of the Christmas Day game against the defending champions. enemy Milwaukee Bucks. Boston is only half a match behind the 6th seed, and only 3 games behind the Cavaliers to win a place in the top 4 in the East.
The most welcome thing for the Celtics, however, is the return of Brown. Against Cleveland, he showed his full arsenal, launching three hits, going to the belt with ease and breaking through his defenders. He finished with 34 points from 22 shots, including 5 to 10 from long range.
“Today is probably one of the better days I’ve had since being back,” Brown said. “We will continue to add those.”
Brown has been battling a hamstring injury since November 4, when he strained a muscle during a game against the Miami Heat. He missed Boston’s next eight games before returning on November 22 against the Houston Rockets, but the team knocked him out again following the team’s win over Philadelphia on November 27.
In the five games he’s played since his return, Brown is averaging 25.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4 assists per game, showing improvement in each game.
Jaylen Brown has gotten better and better since his return.
19 PTS | 4 REB | 5 AST | 3 3PT
20 PTS | 9 REB | 2 AST | 4 3PT
23 PTS | 4 REB | 5 AST | 5 3PT
30 PTS | 5 REB | 5 AST | 3 3PT
34 PTS | 6 REB | 3 AST | 5 3PT pic.twitter.com/WgJwcZXknX– StatMuse (@statmuse) December 23, 2021
Boston is 3-2 in games Brown has played since his return, and despite their consistent inconsistency this season, Brown believes the season can be salvaged.
“I think we can still be a good team. I think we showed it by surprise,” he said. I was out for a long time. I’m trying to get it back. We got people out, COVID. It’s not an excuse or anything, neither are the other teams, but, if the question is, you ask, ‘do I still believe?’ 100%, regardless of whether anyone else does or not. “
