Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown had a big afternoon against the LA Clippers on Sunday. JB finished with 33 points and 13 rebounds as Boston won by three and got to 7-7 on the young season. Then again, Brown’s had a lot of big games lately. He’s accruing some impressive numbers in 2025-26 as the Celtics’ No. 1 option: 27.4 points (50.5 percent shooting), 5.6 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game through 14 games. JB has remained even-keeled throughout his excellent start to the season, especially in dealing with the media. He downplayed his performance on Sunday, saying that he actually didn’t play that well, and in general, you can start to feel that Brown’s extensive NBA experience (nine-plus seasons, believe it or not) is starting to reap serious rewards. Brown has approached this Celtics season with a very high basketball IQ. Rather than try and become a volume scorer, Brown has simply been himself and let the game come to him. He’s trusted his teammates, and he’s once again looking improved as an overall basketball player compared to last season, much like he’s done year after year as a pro. During the postgame presser on Sunday, Brown said some interesting stuff about his versatility as a player. Responding to a question about being more than just a scorer, Brown talked about the various roles that he’s played throughout his career. “Been a lockdown defender, scorer, been a catch and shoot guy, I’ve come off the bench,” Brown said, per CLNS Media. Story continues below advertisement Jaylen Brown on being more than just a scorer:“That’s just who I am… I’ve played multiple roles in my career. Been a lockdown defender, scorer, been a catch and shoot guy, I’ve come off the bench.”–@CLNSMedia pic.twitter.com/twMFF5cuYX— Celtics on CLNS (@CelticsCLNS) November 17, 2025 A lot of people forget that Brown didn’t hit the ground running as an offensive star when he entered the NBA at age 19. His rookie season, Brown didn’t have a lot of ball skills, and even his jumper — though promising in spurts — wasn’t developed or reliable. He was an elite athlete with tremendous offensive instincts whose main value (at the time) was on the defensive end, where he used his athleticism and physicality — paired with a fearlessness that he’s always possessed — to embrace defensive assignments against the league’s best players, most notably LeBron James in the Eastern Conference Finals. Brown’s evolution since his rookie season has been a constant joy to watch for any Celtics fan who has followed the team yearly, mostly because JB adds something new to his game every year. It’s also been slightly humorous to see him evolve from a defensive specialist during his rookie year into a gifted offensive superstar who sometimes isn’t as focused as much on defense during the regular season. If there’s anyone who “flips the switch” defensively in the playoffs, though, it’s Brown (see: 2024 NBA Finals against Luka Dončić). Story continues below advertisement What makes Brown’s point about his various roles an interesting and important one for the Celtics is that it reminds us that Brown is actually capable of relating to his teammates better than the average superstar. He knows what it feels like to come off the bench or to be asked to do less, and as of this season, he also knows what it feels like to be asked to do more. A lot of the times, there will be some disconnect between NBA superstars and the rest of their team, especially if the star has kind of been coddled his whole career. To be clear, Brown was given NBA minutes right away, so it’s not like he was toiling in obscurity for any amount of time, but he did very much earn his superstar status through his own hard work and development. His path to stardom is very respectable, and it also seems to have given him a balanced perspective on how a team is built and the importance of everyone’s role within the grand scheme of a winning club. Story continues below advertisement For people who have followed Jaylen’s career, this has been the most satisfying stretch of it so far, and it’s not because of the big numbers. It’s JB’s character and intelligence that is keeping the Celtics ship afloat while Jayson Tatum is out, and that’s an energizing thing to witness.