What is Jaylen Brown's ceiling?

[Saint Lazarus]

Obviously his playmaking isn’t up to where we want it to be & that’s partially due to his handles not being as tight as he wants them to be but the dude is scoring like prime T-Mac at the moment. He’d be averaging over 30 if they’d let him get a few more shots.

I think most of us knew with the extra responsibility he’d get a few more shots & maybe average 22-23 points per game but we didn’t expect this. People can call me crazy but I think Jaylen knows & Stevens knows he needs more touches & he’ll end up averaging 30ppg this year.

The funny thing is It actually reminds me a lot of TMac when he moved from Toronto to Orlando. Like Jaylen, he got that extra responsibility & we all collectively went “oh “ I know some might say I’m overreacting but I’m that confident in the kid.

C’mon man lol. He’s shooting 80% from midrange, that’s literally more than double his career percentage. He’s also shooting 43% from three, which I guess he could keep that up, but that’d be a pretty huge big jump over the last two years.

I wouldn’t rule out 25 a game at this point, but I’d guess once his percentages normalize, he will settle in that 23ish PPG area.

We’re speaking 80% midrange into existence whether you like it or not.

[Feed Your Head]

Obviously his playmaking isn’t up to where we want it to be & that’s partially due to his handles not being as tight as he wants them to be but the dude is scoring like prime T-Mac at the moment. He’d be averaging over 30 if they’d let him get a few more shots.

I think most of us knew with the extra responsibility he’d get a few more shots & maybe average 22-23 points per game but we didn’t expect this. People can call me crazy but I think Jaylen knows & Stevens knows he needs more touches & he’ll end up averaging 30ppg this year.

The funny thing is It actually reminds me a lot of TMac when he moved from Toronto to Orlando. Like Jaylen, he got that extra responsibility & we all collectively went “oh “ I know some might say I’m overreacting but I’m that confident in the kid.

C’mon man lol. He’s shooting 80% from midrange, that’s literally more than double his career percentage. He’s also shooting 43% from three, which I guess he could keep that up, but that’d be a pretty huge big jump over the last two years.

I wouldn’t rule out 25 a game at this point, but I’d guess once his percentages normalize, he will settle in that 23ish PPG area.

We’re speaking 80% midrange into existence whether you like it or not.

I don’t like it

[Saint Lazarus]

C’mon man lol. He’s shooting 80% from midrange, that’s literally more than double his career percentage. He’s also shooting 43% from three, which I guess he could keep that up, but that’d be a pretty huge big jump over the last two years.

I wouldn’t rule out 25 a game at this point, but I’d guess once his percentages normalize, he will settle in that 23ish PPG area.

We’re speaking 80% midrange into existence whether you like it or not.

I don’t like it

[ddb]

this is a 7-game sample size for JB and it's really starting to look like he's simply just an improved player. He gets better every season. Kid is the real deal. All-Star. I didn't think he'd be a 25ppg guy but it's starting to look that way. And it's not like he's just a scorer. He's doing it all.

[Celts17Pride]

this is a 7-game sample size for JB and it's really starting to look like he's simply just an improved player. He gets better every season. Kid is the real deal. All-Star. I didn't think he'd be a 25ppg guy but it's starting to look that way. And it's not like he's just a scorer. He's doing it all.

and will continue to get better because of his work ethic and drive.

[DarkAzcura]

80% will definitely normalize, but outside his mid-post fadeaways, I don’t think most teams are playing him for his mid-range shot. When teams adjust to it, the percentages will fall, but also, because teams will defend it harder, he may get to the rim even easier. Let’s see if that’s the adjustment he makes whenever that happens.

[ParticleMan]

Jaylen is becoming a legit 3-level scorer, which is what you need to be a 25+ ppg guy. I think he's actually a better finisher at the rim than Tatum, about the same in midrange (both are very good), and somewhat worse from deep.

I don't think he will be at 28 ppg by year's end, but if he can be around 23-25 while keeping his shooting % above like 47%, that would be amazing. You can count on one hand the number of G/F who put up those numbers with that efficiency.

[Feed Your Head]

Jaylen is becoming a legit 3-level scorer, which is what you need to be a 25+ ppg guy. I think he's actually a better finisher at the rim than Tatum, about the same in midrange (both are very good), and somewhat worse from deep.

Jaylen is clearly a better finisher than Tatum, he’s better from midrange right now as well, but Tatum is a much, much better outside shooter. Between the gap in career percentages, and the difference in unassisted threes.

The off the dribble three is what will really unlock Jaylens game, if he can make that a consistent weapon, good lord.

Edit: Hopefully people realize that this is just a discussion and comparison of their games, not a competition.

[BK_2020]

Tatum is also a much better defender (when he wants to be).

[ParticleMan]

Tatum is also a much better defender (when he wants to be).

Not sure about that. If that was so, Brad wouldn't consistently put Jaylen on the opposing team's best wing. Brown is much better at fighting thru screens, and has more strength to cut off drives. Tatum is longer, and a better rebounder. Both are plus defenders but I'd put JB a bit above JT.

[Feed Your Head]

Tatum is also a much better defender (when he wants to be).

Not sure about that. If that was so, Brad wouldn't consistently put Jaylen on the opposing team's best wing. Brown is much better at fighting thru screens, and has more strength to cut off drives. Tatum is longer, and a better rebounder. Both are plus defenders but I'd put JB a bit above JT.

Them as defenders all comes down to if you prefer man defense, or team defense. Jaylen is the better man defender, Tatum clearly the better team.

Jaylen dies on screens though, he’s notorious for it. They both suck at running through picks lol.

[BK_2020]

Tatum is better man defender and a far far better team defender. Brad puts Jaylen on defensive duty because he needs Tatum's offense. Why did Pippen always get the tougher guard over Jordan? Not because he was better on d.

[ddb]

Jaylen is becoming a legit 3-level scorer, which is what you need to be a 25+ ppg guy. I think he's actually a better finisher at the rim than Tatum, about the same in midrange (both are very good), and somewhat worse from deep.

Jaylen is clearly a better finisher than Tatum, he’s better from midrange right now as well, but Tatum is a much, much better outside shooter. Between the gap in career percentages, and the difference in unassisted threes.

The off the dribble three is what will really unlock Jaylens game, if he can make that a consistent weapon, good lord.

Edit: Hopefully people realize that this is just a discussion and comparison of their games, not a competition.

The good news is that Boston has both Tatum & Brown on the roster. I would say that Jaylen's game is slightly more mature than Tatum's game at the moment. Both are phenomenal. I'm not saying one is better than the other. All I'm saying is that Jaylen is making better decisions and seems to know where he can operate and be at his best on a consistent basis. Whereas Tatum can still fall in love with his dribble/dribble step backs from time to time. He's learning/developing. They both are. I'd also say that Tatum is a much improved playmaker and is really starting to come on as a facilitator for others. He's starting to recognize how much attention he draws, and through that he's making the right play in finding teammates for buckets.
Defensively, both are really good, but it seems like Brown is the more locked in defensively. Tatum when locked in his great, but Brown just always seems locked in defensively. He's the 2nd best defender on the team after Smart.

[TommyPointGawd]

Tatum is better man defender and a far far better team defender. Brad puts Jaylen on defensive duty because he needs Tatum's offense. Why did Pippen always get the tougher guard over Jordan? Not because he was better on d.

This is a great question on many different levels

[sam_I_am]

Forget the ridiculous shooting percentage for a minute because those are likely to drop. The reason the % is so high is that he is making really good decisions, making decisive quick moves, and taking excellent shots. Most encouraging is that he is doing it with Tatum on the bench too. Just because he isn’t making plays for others like a Bird, he is scoring and defending like a McHale. I’ll take that anyday.

[keevsnick1]

Tatum is better man defender and a far far better team defender. Brad puts Jaylen on defensive duty because he needs Tatum's offense. Why did Pippen always get the tougher guard over Jordan? Not because he was better on d.

I disagree with the man defender bit pretty strongly here, I think Jaylen is measurable better one on one, against pretty much any player 1-4 then Tatum is. There's a reason he spends more time than anybody on the team not named Smart covering the opponents number 1 option, almost regardless of what position that guy plays. I do agree Tatum is a better team defender, but Jaylen has closed that gap a little this year. he doesn't get lost nearly as much off ball, and he's done a better job impacting the ball handler with pressure. He still fouls a lot more than Jayson tho.

But again, this isn't a Jaylen vs Jayson comparison thread. Jaylen is really good defensively, the only think that worries me is he is a bit foul prone right now and we can't afford him to lose minutes with foul trouble.

[bucknersrevenge]

Jaylen is becoming a legit 3-level scorer, which is what you need to be a 25+ ppg guy. I think he's actually a better finisher at the rim than Tatum, about the same in midrange (both are very good), and somewhat worse from deep.

Jaylen is clearly a better finisher than Tatum, he’s better from midrange right now as well, but Tatum is a much, much better outside shooter. Between the gap in career percentages, and the difference in unassisted threes.

The off the dribble three is what will really unlock Jaylens game, if he can make that a consistent weapon, good lord.

Edit: Hopefully people realize that this is just a discussion and comparison of their games, not a competition.

The good news is that Boston has both Tatum & Brown on the roster. I would say that Jaylen's game is slightly more mature than Tatum's game at the moment. Both are phenomenal. I'm not saying one is better than the other. All I'm saying is that Jaylen is making better decisions and seems to know where he can operate and be at his best on a consistent basis. Whereas Tatum can still fall in love with his dribble/dribble step backs from time to time. He's learning/developing. They both are. I'd also say that Tatum is a much improved playmaker and is really starting to come on as a facilitator for others. He's starting to recognize how much attention he draws, and through that he's making the right play in finding teammates for buckets.
Defensively, both are really good, but it seems like Brown is the more locked in defensively. Tatum when locked in his great, but Brown just always seems locked in defensively. He's the 2nd best defender on the team after Smart.

FWIW, it helps that Jaylen never sees traps or double-teams while Jayson pretty consistently does. He also gets the opposing team's best defender more often. I'm glad Jaylen is getting good enough to capitalize so I'm good with that. I hope Jaylen never sees a trap in his career but it does make things a little simple for him.

[LuckyLeprechaun]

Tatum is also a much better defender (when he wants to be).

Not sure about that. If that was so, Brad wouldn't consistently put Jaylen on the opposing team's best wing. Brown is much better at fighting thru screens, and has more strength to cut off drives. Tatum is longer, and a better rebounder. Both are plus defenders but I'd put JB a bit above JT.

Them as defenders all comes down to if you prefer man defense, or team defense. Jaylen is the better man defender, Tatum clearly the better team.

Jaylen dies on screens though, he’s notorious for it. They both suck at running through picks lol.

It's natural that the guy who had a BBall coach for a dad and went to college under the GOAT college BBall coach would be further along as a team defender. Jaylen was way more raw coming in than Tatum which is why he seems to improve just as much or more each year in spite of being older than Tatum. Being a good man defender comes down primarily to athleticism. I think it's far more likely that Jaylen grows as a team defender over time with coaching and experience than it is that Tatum grows too much more as a man defender.

[Ill News]

Tatum is better man defender and a far far better team defender. Brad puts Jaylen on defensive duty because he needs Tatum's offense. Why did Pippen always get the tougher guard over Jordan? Not because he was better on d.

I disagree with the man defender bit pretty strongly here, I think Jaylen is measurable better one on one, against pretty much any player 1-4 then Tatum is. There's a reason he spends more time than anybody on the team not named Smart covering the opponents number 1 option, almost regardless of what position that guy plays. I do agree Tatum is a better team defender, but Jaylen has closed that gap a little this year. he doesn't get lost nearly as much off ball, and he's done a better job impacting the ball handler with pressure. He still fouls a lot more than Jayson tho.

But again, this isn't a Jaylen vs Jayson comparison thread. Jaylen is really good defensively, the only think that worries me is he is a bit foul prone right now and we can't afford him to lose minutes with foul trouble.

I think they're pretty close when it comes to man-to-man defense, actually. Tatum's defense is often overlooked, but if you watch him closely, he moves his feet and uses his length really well when defending his man. Jaylen's a bit better because of the strength advantage, but I don't think there's much of a gap between them.

[Feed Your Head]

More importantly, what is Ill News ceiling as a poster? I say top 5.