&imwidth=160)
Jaylen Brown earned his due Tuesday. The NBA announced that the Celtics star was named Eastern Conference Player of the Month for the first time in his career, after averaging 29.2 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game in January.
He becomes the sixth Celtic to earn Player of the Month honors, joining Larry Bird (seven times), Jayson Tatum (five times), Paul Pierce (four times), Isaiah Thomas, and Antoine Walker.
Brown voiced his disappointment after missing out on the December award despite leading the league in scoring and outperforming the winner, Jalen Brunson, in nearly every statistical category.
Now, he can enjoy the recognition he deserves after another brilliant month.
Brown paced the East in several scoring categories, including field goals made per game (10.8) and points off drives per game (13.6). He also tied for the conference lead in pull-up scoring at 9.2 points per game.
It was an eventful month for Brown, named an All-Star starter for the first time in his career on Jan. 19. He logged six 30-point games during the month, including two games where he surpassed 40 and one where he reached 50.
The career-high-tying 50-point game came on Jan. 3 against the Clippers in Los Angeles. He shot 18-of-26 from the field, 6-of-10 from 3-point range, and 8-of-10 from the free-throw line, producing the highest true-shooting percentage (80.8 percent) ever by a Celtic in a 50-point game.
Two weeks later, Brown torched his hometown Atlanta Hawks for 41 in just under 30 minutes. It marked the second time in his career he scored 40-plus points while playing fewer than 30 minutes (42 points in 29 minutes on Dec. 30, 2020, vs. Memphis), making him just the third player in NBA history to accomplish the feat multiple times alongside Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.
Brown added four double-doubles during the month, highlighted by his fifth career triple-double on Jan. 23 at Brooklyn, when he logged 27 points, 10 rebounds, and a career-high 12 assists.
Riding Brown’s surge, the Celtics held firm in second-place in the East, trailing only the Detroit Pistons. Brown has taken pride in keeping the Celtics near the top of the standings despite significant roster turnover leading into the season.
“I feel like I've sacrificed over the years in order for us to be a championship caliber team, and I think now, I think we're getting to see that a little bit, what exactly I was capable of and what I was sacrificing,” Brown said following a win over San Antonio on Jan. 10. “ I think before, maybe it wasn't so obvious. I think now, being able to be at the helm of things, and us being the second seed in the east, versus last year, we finished second seed in the east. It's almost been no drop=off, with four players, five players, that are essentially gone. I feel like that the work from the coaching staff, the work from leadership has been great, and I’ve just tried to make myself available every single night.”
The league has taken notice of Brown’s impact, and he’ll look to keep the momentum going as he pushes his way into the MVP conversation.