Jaylen Brown believed his performance was strong enough to earn him the Eastern Conference Player of the Month award back in December. However, he felt disappointed when Jalen Brunson of the Knicks received the honor instead.
In a brief post, Brown expressed his thoughts about the NBA announcement showcasing Brunson’s achievement and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s award for the Western Conference.
During that month, Brown averaged an impressive 31.7 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 5.4 assists while shooting 53.8 percent across 10 games. This played a part in the Celtics’ record of 7-3 and an overall mark of 9-3.
He matched Larry Bird’s record for the franchise with the most consecutive 30-point games—nine in total—and scored 42 points against the Knicks on December 2nd.
Meanwhile, after only putting up 15 points in their last matchup, Brunson found his rhythm, averaging 30.6 points and 7.1 assists. Notably, he scored 25 points against the Spurs on December 16 in a game that did not affect standings, helping lead the Knicks to the NBA Cup title and earning the in-season tournament MVP accolade.
With Jayson Tatum, another Celtics star, likely missing a chunk of the season due to a torn Achilles tendon, Brown has stepped in as the primary scorer without a significant decline in performance so far this season.
As of Saturday, Boston was in third place in the Eastern Conference, trailing the second-place Knicks by a game and a half, and the first-place Pistons by three and a half games.
It’s worth noting that, according to Bleacher Report, Brown has yet to claim Player of the Month honors, despite his significant contributions to the Celtics since being drafted third overall in 2016.
In 2024, he was named the NBA Finals MVP and has earned All-Star Game selections four times.
Looking ahead, the Celtics are on a West Coast trip, with a matchup against the Clippers on Saturday, hoping to secure their seventh win in eight games.
