The Boston Celtics haven’t exactly looked like NBA Finals contenders through the early part of the season, but that hasn’t stopped Jaylen Brown from putting together a tremendous start to the 2025-26 campaign.
Brown continued that hot start on Tuesday, posting 42 points in a 123-117 win over the New York Knicks. It marks Brown’s fifth game out of the last eight with 30-plus points. He’s also dropped 40-plus points in two of his last three games.
Obviously, the Celtics would prefer to have both of their stars—Brown and Jayson Tatum—on the floor, but Tatum’s absence has allowed Brown the opportunity to show the rest of the league what he’s capable of doing as the team’s No. 1 option.
NBA fans are taking notice.
Brown came into Tuesday’s contest averaging 28.4 points per game through the first 20 contests. His career high was 26.6 points per game during the 2022-23 campaign, so he could be on his way to a career year.
The Celtics will need Brown at his best to keep them in the playoff mix. While they got the win on Tuesday, they’re sitting at 12-9 on the year and have plenty of work to do to establish themselves as a legitimate threat in the East.