Max Kellerman has made a career out of hot takes, including stances like the one he took on last Thursday's episode of "The Bill Simmons Podcast."
After Jaylen Brown's Boston Celtics destroyed Luka Doncic's Los Angeles Lakers the previous Sunday, Kellerman made the controversial argument that Brown is a better basketball player than Doncic.
"If you watch the game and look at the actual effect on the team, I'd rather have Jaylen Brown than Luka Doncic," Kellerman told Simmons. "Partly that's dependent on the personnel and all that stuff, but right now, he's better than Luka Doncic."
While Kellerman acknowledged that Doncic is a more skillful player than Brown, he credited Brown for playing the game the right way and doing more things to help his team win, like keeping his teammates engaged on offense and playing quality defense. He also criticized Doncic for his poor defense and constant complaining to the referees.
“Luka is supposed to be a centerpiece on the level of Jokic and Wemby and SGA. He’s not.”@BillSimmons and @maxkellerman discuss Luka’s time with the Lakers and why his bad habits from Dallas are starting to reemerge. pic.twitter.com/vLmbhXgs1i
— The Ringer (@ringer) February 27, 2026
Simmons agreed, saying it's easier to build a team around Brown than Doncic. Brown has proven that this year by thriving with a relatively limited supporting cast in Jayson Tatum's absence, whereas Doncic has endured his share of struggles with the more star-studded Lakers.
Kellerman also dug in, daring critics to prove him wrong.
"If someone would like to engage with me in that argument and show me why I'm wrong, go ahead," Kellerman continued. "Show me where my logic is flawed, or else deepen my understanding of it. But that's not what happens. People go, 'Ah, that's crazy!'"
Doncic has a better resume than Brown and is averaging more points, rebounds and assists than him this season. However, Brown's team is having more success despite being less talented, which reflects Brown's superior two-way impact.
To Kellerman's point, there's a reason why Brown beat Doncic in the NBA Finals two years ago.
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