The Celtics’ Jaylen Brown is finally justifying the supermax contract with Elite Play this year

Three-time All-Star shooting guard Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics helped stem his team’s recent mini-slump Friday night by leading the charge in a complete loss to the Indiana Pacers. Boston was 3-4 in its last seven contests entering the contest.

Although two starters – six-time All-Defensive Team guard Jrue Holiday (right shoulder surgery) and center Kristaps Porzingis (left ankle strain) – were sidelined due to injury, the Celtics delivered their best result of the season, a 142-105 masterpiece, to loud fans TD Garden audience.

The superstar scored 44 points on 16 of 24 shooting from the field (6 of 11 from long distance) and 6 of 6 shooting from the foul line, while also grabbing five rebounds, making four steals and dishing out three dimes in 37:14.

In doing so, Brown became just the fifth Celtics player in franchise history to post a 40-point, four-steal effort during a regular-season contest, reports Taylor Snow of Celtics.com.

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He joins Hall of Fame small forwards Larry Bird and Paul Pierce, who each accomplished the feat five times in their 13 and 15 years with Boston, respectively. Pierce played another four years in the league, but we don’t have to dwell on that dark period.

Per Snow, point guard Dee Brown and three-time All-Star Celtics forward Antoine Walker each recorded a 40-point game and four steals during their tenure in Boston.

Frankly, it’s a little surprising that legendary luminaries like Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Kevin McHale, John Havlicek, Kyrie Irving or Jayson Tatum never hit that 40-point, 4-steal metric when they went for it in the regular season Boston played. Players like Bill Russell and Bob Cousy scored fewer goals in a more defensive-oriented era, so their absence makes at least some sense.

Of course, Tatum – the team’s leading scorer with 28.7 points per game as well as 9.6 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 1.2 steals – still has time to achieve this outstanding performance. The 1.80 meter tall former Duke Blue Devil is only 26 years old and is under contract with the Celtics until at least the 2028/29 season. Tatum has a player option of $71.4 million for the 2029-2030 season when he turns 31.

He scored 22 points on 7 of 15 shooting from the floor (3 of 10 from deep) and 5 of 6 shooting from the foul line, grabbed 13 rebounds, dished out four assists and recorded three steals of his own in just 31:38.

The 28-year-old Brown appears to be on the verge of securing his fourth All-Star honor and, perhaps more importantly, his second All-NBA berth, with his outstanding play for the reigning champions this year. The 6-foot-6 Cal product is averaging 24.6 points on .455/.335/.739 shooting splits, 6.0 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.4 steals per night for the 23-8 Celtics.

The reigning Finals MVP signed a controversial five-year, $304 million contract with Boston in the summer of 2023 and has proven his mettle as a bona fide superstar on the edge in recent seasons. Making an All-NBA team is limited to only 15 players. Forming multiple rosters like this is a testament to a player’s continued brilliance on the hardwood.

An elite two-way winger who has gained a bit more impact this year, Brown is essentially polishing his eventual Hall of Fame case. Tatum already seems to be well on his way, but in the end it was Brown who was named Finals MVP. He may have been the best player in Boston’s series against the Dallas Mavericks, but this is still undoubtedly Tatum’s team. He is de facto the club’s best player. As the second-best player on a title team with growing individual accolades, Brown certainly seems worth the price of admission.

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