Jaylen Brown is playing the best basketball of his career at the best possible time for the Celtics.
The forward has been dominant this postseason, leading Boston back to the NBA Finals for the second time in three seasons. He continues to prove his doubters wrong, putting together masterful two-way performances every night to prove that he is one of the most complete players in the NBA.
Brown averaged 29.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game in the Eastern Conference Finals to take home the series’ Larry Bird MVP trophy. He started the NBA Finals strong, becoming the first Celtic since Kevin Garnett going for 20 points, three steals and three blocks in a playoff game.
Long before Brown was the catalyst for a team with NBA title aspirations, he was a determined five-star recruit and top prospect with dreams of becoming the player he is today.
Take a look at his path to the NBA below.
Where did Jaylen Brown go to college?
Brown was always a highly touted prospect, listed at 6-7, 217 pounds as a senior at Wheeler High School in his hometown of Marietta, Georgia. It was easy to see how his measurements, strength and athleticism would one day translate to the NBA.
Brown was a five-star recruit and the No. 4 player in the 2015 class. according to 247Sports. The only players ranked ahead of him in high school They were former NBA lottery pick Skal Labissiere and future All-Stars Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram.
Brown received offers from nearly every major school in the country. He earned scholarships from Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina and UCLA to attend the University of California, Berkeley.
Brown has always done things his way, but his decision took many by surprise. He said fell in love with the Cal campus and received guidance from Shareef Abdur-Rahima former top-five NBA Draft pick from Brown’s hometown who also went to Cal.
Jaylen Brown College Statistics
Brown only played one year at Cal before turning pro, but he made a huge impact. He was the 2016 Pac-12 Rookie of the Year and made the All-Pac-12 first team as a freshman.
He had six 20-point games and four double-doubles, leading Cal to a 23-11 record and a bid to the NCAA Tournament.
The Golden Bears were defeated by Hawaii in the first round of March Madness and Brown had a game to forget, scoring just four points with seven turnovers on 1-of-6 shooting from the field.
You can find his college statistics below.
| Year | Class | GP | deputy | GF% | 3P% | FOOT% | role playing game | APG | AAP | BPG | TOV | PPG |
| 2015-16 | FR | 3. 4 | 27.6 | 43.1 | 29.4 | 65.4 | 5.4 | 2.0 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 3.1 | 14.6 |
Jaylen Brown NBA Draft Scouting Report
There was no denying that Brown had the body and athleticism of an NBA player, but it was clear that his skills needed polishing.
Here’s what former ESPN draft analyst Mike Schmitz wrote about Brown before the 2016 NBA Draft:
“…The intrigue surrounding Brown begins with his prototypical tools for the small forward position…By timing his shot differently from shot to shot, whether he pulls up the rebound under pressure or catches and shoot jumpers in space, Brown’s mechanics are not particularly reliable at this stage… Possessing a strong first step and impressive one- and two-foot jumping ability, Brown’s rather loose handling, lack of craftiness around the basket and his tendency to have tunnel vision and force shots into traffic.”
Schmitz also defined the future trajectory and keys for Brown’s development.
“He’s able to score effectively around the rim, his jump shot doesn’t break, and he gets to the line very prolifically, even if he’s aggressive to a fault at times… Brown clearly has untapped potential as a scorer. If he can fix his mechanical issues as a shooter and ball handler, he could look like a completely different player in this regard in a few years.
“…Given his combination of size and athleticism, his success thereafter will largely depend on how quickly his skill level adapts to the environment in which he has been recruited.”
When the Celtics selected Brown with the third overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, the pick was most criticized how praised. Eight years later, it’s safe to say Boston is happy with the pick he made.
