The Boston Celtics earned a 130-120 win over the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night, but it wasn’t a complete blowout. Boston was in control for most of the game, but a late run by Detroit made things interesting. And with Jayson Tatum and Jrue Holiday sidelined, the Celtics had to rely on the rest of their squad.
Some big plays from Payton Pritchard helped seal the deal, but Jaylen Brown had an impressive night, too. His scoring went ice-cold in the second half, but his playmaking was consistent throughout, and that was huge for the Celtics. He took on a role he’s not always used to playing and thrived.
Joe Mazzulla loved it.
Mazzulla wanted Jaylen Brown to dominate the defense
Brown is a natural scorer, but passing has been a learned skill for him. Mazzulla said that it’s been fun to watch him grow in that area, and he also revealed a mid-game directive that helped fuel his performance.
“It's been fun to watch him grow over the last few years in his reads,” said Mazzulla. “Watching him, you see him be able to process the game in real-time and see the adjustments that are being made on him. Recognizing the matchup, recognizing the spacing.
“There were a couple of times where I was like, 'Get what you want.' Get it. It dictates the defense. And he plays at a pace where he can get to the spacing that he wants. He knows the shot that he wants. So, he works at it every day, and it's fun watching him just continue to grow in the game and understand it in re.”al-time and get better, and it's fun talking to him during the game about it, too.”
Brown’s final stat line for the night was 28 points, six rebounds, nine assists, and three steals. He shot just 10-of-21 from the floor and 1-of-6 from deep, but the rest of his game made up for the shaky efficiency.
Tatum has been the Celtics’ most impactful player this year from an offensive leadership perspective. But when he missed his first game of the season on Wednesday, Brown was ready.
Guys like Derrick White, Sam Hauser, and Kristaps Porzingis also stepped up to the plate, but Brown’s ability to lead the ship with his passing was essential to Boston’s victorious evening.
His constant improvement in the playmaking department has been remarkable to watch over the years, and this is as good as he’s ever been.
