Overview
- Brown, in a Thursday ESPN interview, said “Analytically, probably not” when asked if he should win MVP and argued that data misses his leadership and spirit.
- He cited an all-around season as Boston’s lead option with career highs of 28.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 5.2 assists across 70 games.
- His usage rate is 35.1 percent, second in the league behind Luka Dončić, reflecting how many Celtics possessions he finished with a shot, free throws, or a turnover.
- Jayson Tatum returned from an Achilles rehab on March 6 and has averaged 21.6 points in 15 starts, which reduced Brown’s load but kept him in a major role.
- External gauges place him behind statistical frontrunners, with NBA.com’s ladder listing him No. 5 and FanDuel odds favoring Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Victor Wembanyama, and Nikola Jokić while Boston holds a top-two East position and can clinch No. 2 with a win over the Knicks.