Jaylen Brown Gives Slumping Celtics Teammate Huge Vote Of Confidence originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Boston Celtics had a rough night offensively against the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday, scoring a season-low 84 points in an ugly loss at Ball Arena.
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The Celtics struggled shooting the ball, hitting just 34.9% of their shots from the floor and 27.9% from beyond the arc. Even MVP candidate Jaylen Brown had an off night, going 7-for-21 from the field against the Nuggets.
Another Boston player who struggled was Ron Harper Jr., who connected on just one of his seven shot attempts, all from downtown, in 11 minutes off the bench. He scuffled during Tuesday night’s win over the Phoenix Suns as well, going just 3-for-10 from the floor and 2-for-7 from deep in 30 minutes as a starter.
After Wednesday’s loss, Brown gave Harper some advice along with a big vote of confidence.
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“Just confidence, let it fly. At times it seems he might be thinking about it a little bit,” Brown told CLNS reporter Noa Dalzell. “Ron’s one of the best shooters on our team, and teams are leaving him open. Like tonight, they were choosing to leave him open. He’s just gotta step in and knock it down, like he’s been doing his whole life. Just confidence, that’s it.”
After going 4-for-17 over his last two games, that exactly what Harper needs to hear from the team’s best player. This is his fourth NBA season but first time getting serious minutes, so he needs to trust himself and shoot with confidence.
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That said, the results haven’t been there yet. He’s shooting just 32.1% from the field and 26.2% from downtown, making him one of the team’s worst shooters. If he doesn’t start making his open looks soon, he may lose playing time as a result, especially if/when Jayson Tatum comes back.
Harper will look to bounce back at home on Friday night against the Brooklyn Nets.
More NBA: Joe Mazzulla Gives Blunt Assessment After Celtics’ Loss to Nuggets