Crawling to Camp: What Should Jaylen Brown Add to His Bag This Season? originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Death. Taxes. Jaylen Brown add something to your bag during the summer.
These are the only certainties in life. And before you even try to protest with something like, “Well, the summer was short, so were we Really I’m sure JB will add something new to the toolbox this year?” Just go and follow his evolution since his arrival Boston. Brown will find something to improve this season.
Every season, Brown comes back a little better. He has a pair of shiny post-season MVP trophies from Boston’s title race to show his progress.
So what could be new in 2024-25? For the third part of our Ramp to Camp 2024 series, we asked our NBC Sports Boston panel to pick one area they hoped Brown would improve in for the 2024-25 campaign.Check out the first and second installments of Ramp to Camp here.)
Brown’s progress is well documented. Last season, he took on the challenge of defending top scorers and worked his way up to the defensive end position. Brown’s game and vision have made notable strides. The offensive game continues to develop, with Brown seemingly becoming more lethal from mid-range.
So what still needs improvement? The most popular answer among our panel was Brown’s free throw percentage. He dropped to 70.3% from the field last season after hitting a career-best 76.5% in 2022-23. Additionally, Brown shot just 66% from the line in the playoffs.
One could argue about why his defensive rebounding percentage dropped, but everyone’s rebounding rate went down along with it. Kristaps Porzingis on the court, and Brown was more aggressive on the boards in the playoffs, especially when Porzingis was sidelined.
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If we were to nitpick, we’d like to see Brown’s three-point shooting become a bit more efficient. In his first All-Star season in 2020-21, Brown shot 39.7 percent from three-point range. Since that season, he’s shot 35.8, 33.5, and 35.4 percent, respectively, over the last three campaigns. Even if Brown were above league average (36.6 percent) from three-point range, he’d still be more of a three-level threat who can really put defenses under pressure.
Here’s what our panel wants to see from a player who will always find some kind of motivation regardless of its achievements:
It’s very specific, but when Brown recognizes a favorable matchup for a teammate in the post, can he eliminate lobs into the stands?
Tom GilesMulti-platform host
I’m looking forward to seeing Brown improve on defense. Last season, we saw him chase down the opposing team’s best player late in games. And we’ve certainly seen his defensive impact in the playoffs.
How far can Brown go to ensure he’s never left off an All-Defense team again?
Mark Hazlett, Multiplatform Producer
A photo of Grant Hill for motivation — or an 80 percent free throw.
Free throw improvement. The free throw line was Brown’s Achilles heel last season, as his 70.3% free throw percentage was his worst since the 2018-19 season.
Brown improved in almost every other area last season, so we’d like to see him take a brief break. these underwater trainings and shoot a few more free throws.
Improved free throw shooting. It was painful to watch at times last season and during the playoffs.
Baseline shot on a turn.
Kevin Miller, Vice President, Content
Brown has shown signs of improvement in the playoffs, but he still has a step to take.
