Jaylen

Brown

Brown didn’t have his best night shooting the basketball, but he was influential in other areas as the Celtics wrapped up their 18th title. After winning the Eastern Conference Finals MVP, he stood out again in the NBA Finals and was named series MVP. Brown wasn’t projected to be the Celtics player whose fantasy value would be impacted the most by the additions of Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis, based on his Yahoo ADP of 35.8. However, decreased production in the points, rebounds, and free-throw percentage categories led to JB finishing the regular season ranked outside the top 75 in 9-cat formats and just inside the top 60 in 8-cat. Brown averaged 23.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per game while shooting 70.3% from the foul line this season. In 2022-23, he was responsible for 26.6 points and 6.9 rebounds per game, shooting 76.5% from the line. The scoring and rebounding could remain “low” by Brown’s standards, but getting back into the mid-70s from the charity stripe next season would give his value a welcome boost in category leagues.

Brown entered Game 4 as the betting favorite for NBA Finals MVP honors, and that remains the case despite Boston getting blown out on Friday. No team has even blown a 3-0 series lead in NBA postseason history, so the odds remain in Boston’s favor. Game 4 was Brown’s worst game of these playoffs, and it’s fair to expect to see him bounce back in Game 5 on Monday night.

While Jayson Tatum’s perceived struggles were a dominant talking point after the first two games of the NBA Finals, Brown has been elite throughout. In Game 3, he became the first Celtics player since John Havlicek in 1968 to tally at least 30 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists in an NBA Finals game. After winning Eastern Conference Finals MVP honors, Brown is the betting favorite to win NBA Finals MVP. Boston will look to close out the series on Friday night, and a win would give the franchise its first title since 2008.

Boston has a 2-0 series lead in the NBA Finals, and Brown was one of five Celtics to finish the game in double figures. He has now shot 50% or better from the field in six straight and seven of the Celtics’ last eight playoff games, picking up the slack for the slumping Jayson Tatum. The only negative for Brown in Game 2 was the turnover count, as he was responsible for six. However, this was the first game in which he exceeded three since Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semis when JB racked up five in a win over the Cavaliers. Mavericks coach Jason Kidd may have gone the gamesmanship route when he said Brown was Boston’s best player, but that approach did not impact Game 2. Game 3 is on Wednesday night in Dallas.

DFS players who slotted Brown into their lineups were rewarded handsomely on Thursday, as he produced a full stat line while leading the Celtics in scoring, steals, and blocks (tied with Kristaps Porzingis). The Eastern Conference Finals MVP did not skip a beat in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, which was good for Boston, as Jayson Tatum struggled with his shot and turnovers. Brown has been on a roll recently, and the lower price tag could make him a better pick to lead your DFS squad than Tatum moving forward.

Boston completed its sweep of the Eastern Conference Finals on Monday, but three games were highly competitive. Close-out games are rarely easy, and the Celtics’ stars led the way in Game 4. Brown tallied a game-high 29 points on 50% shooting while recording a full stat line. For the series, he averaged 29.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.0 steals, 0.8 blocks, and 2.5 3-pointers per game, shooting 51.7% from the field. Next up for Brown and the Celtics is the NBA Finals, which will not begin until June 6.

Boston now holds a 3-0 lead in the Eastern Conference Finals, as they erased an 18-point deficit on Saturday night. Brown and Jayson Tatum combined to score 60 points on 22-of-41 shooting from the field, and Al Horford chipped in with 23 points of his own. JB7 has proven to be a tough matchup for Indiana, as he’s averaged 30.0 points per game on 52.3% shooting from the field in this series. Brown and the Celtics will look to close out the series on Monday. And based on Boston nearly climbing out of a 0-3 hole in last season’s conference finals, they’re unlikely to take their foot off the gas.

Brown obviously felt like he deserved to be on an All-NBA team, and he made sure to let the league know that he felt disrespected. He got off to a hot start and scored 24 points before halftime and went on to have his highest scoring game of this postseason. He made the All-NBA second team last season, and he did receive 50 third place votes this year, which made him the last name off the ballot. His performance was huge in helping them win Game 2, which was something they didn’t do in the first two rounds of this postseason. He’ll look to keep it going in Game 3 on Saturday as the series shifts to Indiana.

After scoring just 11 points in Boston’s series-clinching win over Cleveland on May 15, Brown got his Eastern Conference Finals off to a good start. The Celtics star has scored 26 points or more in three of the team’s last four games, shooting 50% or better in each. What also has DFS players pleased is the production in other categories, most notably the assists, steals, and blocks. While Brown was responsible for seven assists in that Game 5 victory over Cleveland, the four “stocks” are the most in a game for him this postseason. Boston will need similar efforts against the Pacers, who also possess a potent offensive attack.

All five Celtics starters finished Game 5 in double figures, with White being one of three to score at least 18 points. And this was a much-needed performance, as he shot 8-of-30 from the field in Games 2 through 4. White helped make up for Jaylen Brown, who finished with just 11 points while accounting for four rebounds, seven assists, one steal, one block, and one 3-pointer. Brown took on more of a facilitator role, opening up scoring opportunities for his teammates. White having a better night in Game 5 should give him some positive momentum heading into the conference finals, with the Celtics set to host either New York or Indiana in Game 1 next week.