In their 22nd game of the season, the Boston Celtics are hosting the Cleveland Cavaliers. With the two teams’ previous season series siding in favor of the Cavs, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown enter the matchup with the determination to shift their momentum. For the visitors, they welcome back Caris LeVert to their lineup. The reliable shooting guard received the green light just hours before tip-off as he went through his pre-game workout without a hitch.

LeVert’s return to action is poised to bolster the Cavaliers’ offensive strategies throughout the game. Nicknamed the ‘Boston Strangler,’ LeVert has delivered some of his standout performances against the men in green.

Jaylen Brown’s tweaked ankle exposes Celtics’ vulnerable side

In the initial half of the game, Jaylen Brown suffered an ankle tweak during a dunk. In a fastbreak, he cut to the basket and received a pocket pass from Tatum, only to be swiftly escorted to the locker room after the tweak.

As the game progressed, a noteworthy analytical observation emerged early on. Adam Himmelsbach, a Celtics coverage writer, pointed out that Boston failed to score in the first 9 minutes of Brown’s absence. Additionally, they racked up 4 turnovers during that time frame.

The impact of Brown’s absence was immediately evident, revealing a significant gap in the team’s chemistry and cohesiveness without him on the court.

Nevertheless, Brown swiftly made a comeback, sparking a Celtics resurgence. By the third quarter, Boston had secured a 94-92 lead, courtesy of a dynamic performance from Brown and Tatum, 19 and 2o points respectively.

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Brown is in an ongoing feud with ESPN

Recently, ESPN’s NBA account posted on Instagram, sharing a graphic that Brown had recorded 0 assists and had attempted 43 field goals in his last two games – against the 76ers and the Pacers. The post intended that Jaylen Brown was playing imbalanced and selfish basketball.

Upon coming through the post, Brown took it upon himself to respond and shared it on his Instagram story while stating, “Y’all corny, watch the game.” However, he didn’t rest there. During the Celtics’ recent shoot around, Brown was asked about the same graphic and his sentiments. In a witty response, he stated, “Probably a slow news day.”

While ESPN’s post was factually correct, the context was missing. As highlighted by Celtics.com’s Taylor Snow, during the game against the Pacers alone, Brown had five potential assists that went unconverted due to missed shots by team players.

Additionally, the two games are the only games this season where Brown failed to record an assist. He is averaging 3.2 assists this season, a similar number to his recent seasons.

How important is Jaylen Brown to the Celtics? If they were to win a chip this season, what kind of contribution would they require from him?

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