Jaylen Brown is signed.
http://www.nba.com/celtics/news/pressrelease/celtics-sign-five-playersI'm cool with whatever opinions anyone's got about Jaylen. This guy has been dividing the experts from the beginning, and not without reason.
What was really interesting leading up to the draft was that the analytics approaches (I checked Pelton, who I think is very astute, and the Nylon Calculus guy) - were even more bearish than Chad Ford; there was actually a lot of agreement between the Analytics crowd and the more traditional scouting.
Ainge misfire? They've obviously prioritized leadership in their personnel decisions - was this a case of getting that at the expense of actual basketball talent?
But lo and behold Summer League arrives, and it turns out that this guy has some pretty startling capacities. He's quick and nimble as a cat - but wants to get in and mix it up. He keeps moving. He's long, has pickpocket's hands, a smooth, precise stroke - but above all, he wants to get to the rim and finish with contact - and he's a WORKER. Among other things, the left hand is a lot better than what I saw of his college play, and he made rapid progress in Summer League despite a hyperextended knee injury.
Not without interest, it looks like Pelton, at least, changed his mind about Brown after Summer League.
He's ambitious with his skills. In the Dallas game first half he hits a nicely contested shot-clock beater turnaround shot, on the move, fading to the baseline; the announcer called it a "Michael Jordan" shot. Well, it's summer league, let's not get carried away; and it's not plausible that that's a reliable go-to move for Brown this season once the Big Show starts. But it was beautifully executed; you can't do that without some serious, detailed work. Also to take away there: he's practicing tough shots - he's working on being the closer that the Celtics have so badly needed.
He needs reps, but boy the upside.
He has great promise and ability on both ends; he's built to defend the closers of the NBA - Kawhi, Melo, Klay, Butler (by the way, I'm betting that all talks between Bulls and C's about Jimmy are indefinitely on hold). Bron is pretty big - but Jaylen has already said he looks forward to checking him. Gotta love the ambition! At that level, the difference comes down to just how hard you want it.
The unusual body format helps him in the lane - squiggly lower body but good girth in the shoulders to muscle through.
This guy could be special.
Jaylen is that rare commodity, a closer: a guy who can go get a bucket, can go get to the line. Now that's true even if he doesn't pan out. But he has the tools to be in that little club of guys that teams rely on for points.
Boston is best served by seeing if he can develop into one of those few guys. Why I say that can be boiled down to two things: fine motor skills and relentlessness. The kid is truly blessed. There are lots of guys with one of those traits, few with both.
Re: @saltlover's thread about the wait on signing Brown's contract: if they considered trading him I'd be thoroughly surprised. I say keep him a Celtic - he's got a shot at greatness.
To summarize: he's the rare type of player who makes an offense cook, complements a point-guard type in his shot-creation (like, say, Isaiah Thomas). He's implacable attacking the basket - and at improving his considerable physical gifts. This guy is going to be really, really good. He's in the right place at the right time. He's a leader, coming to a culture where there's already tremendous leadership.
You Boston fans:
This thing is working. Get seats behind the home bench.
