A lot of Jaylen Brown critics scoffed at the notion of JB being a first option for the Boston Celtics in 2025-26. And while the Celts have a 4-5 record on the year, you can’t say that Brown hasn’t been an effective No. 1. Entering Thursday, Jaylen was ninth in the NBA in scoring and having an awesome overall year: 27.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game on 53.5 percent shooting. Boston doesn’t look like a contender or anything, but they weren’t expected to be without Jayson Tatum, Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, Luke Kornet and Al Horford, each of whom played a role in the 2024 title. Brown, meanwhile, is a huge reason why the Celtics look like a possible playoff team despite the above roster losses. JB isn’t a perfect player, but he’s a proven superstar doing exactly what his team needs from him right now. Entering the season, it was reasonable to expect that Brown would take on a Ricky Davis mindset and become somewhat of a shot-chucker without Tatum around, possibly in an attempt to inflate his scoring numbers and focus on an MVP campaign. Jaylen hasn’t done any of that. He’s leaned into team basketball. While doing so, he’s still managing to average almost 28 a night, and he’s enabling the growth of other pieces like Josh Minott and Neemias Queta. Story continues below advertisement Jaylen Brown's last 7 games:• 35 PTS | 62 FG%• 36 PTS | 47 FG%• 12 PTS | 43 FG% (22 mins played)• 32 PTS | 68 FG%• 30 PTS | 60 FG%• 15 PTS | 56 FG% (24 mins played)• 41 PTS | 48 FG%Only had 9 30+ point games last season. He's up to 5 already ð«£ pic.twitter.com/jMR7S4pp0S— CelticsMuse (@CelticsMuse) November 6, 2025 You have to love the way JB has been playing. In one sense, it shows how much faith he has in the scoring talent of Payton Pritchard, Anfernee Simons and Derrick White. Any of those guys can go for 25+ on a given night, and Brown leaves that possibility open by considering himself just one weapon among many for the Celtics. In another sense, this season is revealing that Jaylen’s basketball IQ has grown leaps and bounds since he came into the league. Again, to avoid the temptation of becoming a high-volume chucker this year shows that he has a nuanced understanding of how to win in the NBA. It’s been a refreshing development to watch, and one that makes you respect Jaylen even more than his NBA Finals ring and Finals MVP trophy demand you to. Story continues below advertisement Jaylen’s slippery handle and occasional head-scratching decision will always frustrate fans, but at the end of the day, this is a superstar who has noticeably improved his game each and every season that he’s been in the NBA. He’s always been durable, and he’s always been a winner. This season might be the best Brown achievement yet. It’s not about the scoring, either. It’s about leading a team that no one expected to be anything and ensuring that the Celtics stay competitive.