Jayson Tatum’s season-opening 3-pointer hadn’t even reached the twine and Jaylen Brown was already stalking within the path of Jalen Brunson.
13 seconds into the 2024-25 season, with Boston contemporary off receiving their championship rings on opening evening inside a delirious TD Backyard, Brown perched himself at Brunson’s hip 90 ft from the basket and stayed Velcroed to him for your entire possession.
Six months later, we will’t assist however surprise how a lot time Brown will spend glued to Brunson when the Celtics and Knicks tip off an Eastern Conference semifinal series on Monday evening.
Through the 2024-25 season, Brown solely defended one participant (Zach LaVine) for extra possessions than Brunson, per NBA monitoring. Brown logged 12 minutes, 33 seconds of whole matchup time and 72.3 possessions defended. These numbers might spike on a playoff stage.
Brown taking turns harassing an opposing group’s prime scoring risk has change into a playoff ritual that appeared to get magnified along with his work in opposition to James Harden within the 2023 Jap Convention semifinals. Throughout final yr’s title run, Brown earned a pair of MVP honors largely on account of his defensive efforts, particularly his NBA Finals harassment of Luka Doncic.
Brunson, the NBA’s Clutch Player of the Year who keyed New York’s first-round overcome the Detroit Pistons along with his late-game heroics, has been one in all Brown’s hardest covers in current seasons. Nobody scored extra factors in opposition to Brown this season, with Brunson totaling 26 factors on 10-of-17 taking pictures with two turnovers, per NBA monitoring.
Nobody on the Celtics actually had a solution for Brunson over the course of the season. Brunson generated 25 factors on 10-of-24 taking pictures in opposition to the All-Protection tandem of Derrick White and Jrue Hoilday, although the Inventory Alternate combo did an excellent job protecting him off the free throw line (just one taking pictures foul over 112 possessions defended).
The Celtics virtually will definitely give Brunson a bunch of various appears and coverages. Groups don’t have any alternative however to ship a number of our bodies his method, and Boston sometimes will dwell with the Josh Harts and OG Anunobys of the world getting respectable appears to get the ball out of Brunson’s palms.
However our largest query earlier than the collection ideas is just whether or not Brown can use his dimension and energy to make Brunson work for his factors. After a poor displaying in New York on April 8, Brown sat out the ultimate three video games of the Celtics’ regular-season slate on account of knee woes.
Brown admitted there have been nights in Spherical 1 the place that knee restricted him greater than others, at the same time as he averaged 23 factors whereas taking pictures 49.4 % from the ground and 44.4 % past the 3-point arc throughout the five-game triumph over the Magic.
Do the Celtics belief that Brown is wholesome sufficient to chase the shifty Brunson? What’s extra, is Vacation wholesome sufficient to do the identical after sitting out the ultimate three video games of the Orlando collection with a hamstring injury?
We suspect Brown is raring to tackle the problem of defending Brunson. The Magic have been gritty defenders, however the Knicks can rating factors in bunches when Brunson is fueling the New York offense. Even when the Celtics are content material to let Brunson get his factors and drive others to beat them, there can be a need to make him work and attempt to get the ball out of his palms.
The Celtics loved their greatest defensive success in opposition to Brunson in a February meeting in Boston. Brunson completed with 22 factors on 9-of-19 taking pictures however didn’t try a single free throw — one in all solely two instances all season he didn’t get to the charity stripe (the opposite was when he performed simply 23 minutes in opposition to the Pacers in mid-February).
Brunson had gotten to the road 13 instances (and made all his freebies) throughout an earlier February meeting with the Celtics in New York. Brunson completed with 36 factors that evening, and whereas the Celtics nonetheless received, the precedence this season clearly has been to defend Brunson with out fouling.
Outdoors that recreation, Brunson generated simply eight whole free throw makes an attempt within the different three video games in opposition to the Celtics.
In that third assembly during which Brunson didn’t get to the charity stripe, the Celtics gave Payton Pritchard a bunch of turns as main defender. Brunson was credited with 14 factors on 6-of-6 taking pictures with Pritchard defending him, per NBA monitoring. Coming off a strong defensive displaying in Spherical 1 in opposition to greater covers on the Magic, Pritchard must be keen to point out that was an aberration.
The trio of White, Vacation, and Brown mixed to carry Brunson scoreless on 0-for-7 taking pictures with three turnovers in that third regular-season assembly.
Once more, nobody defender can absolutely take away Brunson. Boston’s bigs must be prepared with backline assist when he zigs and zags his option to the rim. Brown’s energy and dimension might be very important to providing resistance in Brunson getting the place he needs to go.
The Celtics must make Brunson work on the opposite finish of the court docket and attempt to reap the benefits of his defensive limitations. It could additionally profit Boston to not let video games be shut on the end line the place Brunson tends to enter turbo mode.
Brunson’s season began with Brown connected to his hip, and the Celtics in all probability wouldn’t thoughts if it ended the identical method.
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