Let's be frank! Jaylen Brown now sits in fifth place in the NBA KIA MVP race, but his chances to win the prize at the end of the season are slim indeed. No member of the Celtics has won the award since Larry Bird did it (for the third time) in the 1985-86 season.
And international players have won the prize in the last seven seasons _something which may not change with the likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Shea Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid still battling for the trophy. Still, Jaylen Brown has been true to his word about replacing Jayson Tatum as leader of "The Green" - at least until Tatum returns.
Jaylen, this season, is averaging a team-high 33.5 minutes per game, 29.1 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 4.8 APG, 1.1 SPG and a whopping 15.6 2-point shot attempts per contest. He is taking the mid-range game seriously and driving to the hoop constantly.
The Celtics are currently sitting at number-3 in the Eastern Standings with a 15-10 record, which is somewhat of a surprise for many who viewed this as a "gap season" for Boston. Holding that kind of high ranking would help Jaylen's cause come award time. He is working hard to make this a meaningful season for himself, his team - and Boston sports fans.
We will be tracking this story as the season progresses, but it will be an uphill fight for JB. The four international players mentioned above are not going away, and they all can be dominant enough to walk away with the Michael Jordan MVP Trophy. I personally would like to see Brown increase his assists beyond 6.0 dimes-per-game.
Stay tuned as we monitor Jaylen Brown's quest for recognition. Hell, he took the 2024 Finals MVP Award - quite an accomplishment for an NBA player. He is good enough to capture the regular season MVP in 2026, but it will be tough.
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