Celtics’ Jaylen Brown Is Perfect Candidate For NBA Dunk Contest
Is there a single game this season that Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown hasn’t thrown down a ferocious dunk?
Yeah, probably.
But the fact remains Brown has been on a mission to show off his high-flying capabilities to start the 2023-24 campaign.
Things are different in Boston this year, as Brown, Jayson Tatum and Derrick White have been joined by Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis to form one of the most talented starting rotations the NBA has seen. It’s been an adjustment, but one that still has the Celtics sitting at 21-6 as we approach their Christmas Day matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers.
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In adjusting, the Celtics have utilized Brown a bit differently than last season — which is something he’s all for. The 27-year-old has gone back to his slashing ways of old, leading to a number of ferocious dunks throughout the early portion of the season.
“Just all instinct,” Brown said of his dunks, per Souichi Terada of MassLive. “That’s all it is. You kind of read-and-react as I see the parts moving. Then the defense making the rotations, you kind of know where to go and when to go and the game tells you what to do.”
If Brown wasn’t already a must-watch player, he is now. It got us wondering whether or not he’d put his highlight dunks on display for a bigger audience.
Is it possible that Brown could participate in the 2024 NBA Slam Dunk Contest?
“Who knows,” Brown said, per Terada. “I’m focused on getting my team ready for what’s next and taking those next steps. We’ll see. I haven’t put any thought into it. Maybe if the people want it. Enough people ask for it, we’ll get it. As of now, I’m not really thinking about it.”
It would be a shame if Brown didn’t compete, so this is our plea.
It’s been a long time since the NBA had a true superstar compete in the Dunk Contest, with names like Mac McClung, Juan Toscano-Anderson, Cassius Stanley and Hamidou Diallo making appearances, and in some cases winning, over the last few years. That should change, and there’s no one better to take the leap than the league’s highest-paid player.
Brown is a star in his own right, yes, but he’d also represent the NBA’s best team and would be the first NBPA vice president to compete in well over a decade. He’s on the short-list of All-Star candidates and could very well earn another All-NBA berth this season.
There’s an argument to be made that no one is better equipped to compete in this contest and bring back its relevance, and there’s no doubt Boston would like to see that No. 7 fly through the air in another contest.
