The Boston Celtics fell to a Game 2 loss against the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Celtics stars were disappointed. Jaylen Brown couldn’t step up and be the reliable second star Jayson Tatum needed, and he had an embarrassing lowlight when he failed on a left-handed crossover, which led to fans mocking him on social media.
Jaylen Brown never beating the allegations pic.twitter.com/EeA1yTWAwK
— Hater Report (@HaterReport_) May 10, 2024
Fans piled in with comments about the botched attempt at a dribble move, including swipes at Brown signing the richest contract in NBA history last summer.
“300 million dollars lmao.”
“Never beating the allegations.”
“Crazy money for years of mid.”
“I don’t care what anyone says about Jaylen’s individual accolades; until this dude gets a left hand, he’s not a superstar. He’s just the regular season version of Jimmy Butler.”
“He literally ‘handed’ the ball to Okoro.”
“I don’t understand how such a talented and athletic guy hasn’t been able to improve something that has been such a weakness for years.”
“I see what you did there. The crossover did indeed LEFT his HAND.”
“You haven’t watched his games this year. He has 100% improved this. Don’t judge on 1 play.”
Brown ended Game 2 with 19 points, disappointing Celtics fans who saw the team slump to a 118-94 loss at home. While the Cavaliers have taken home-court advantage with this win, the Celtics will still be favored to win due to the talent of the team.
The lack of a competent left-handed dribble for Brown has been discussed extensively since the 2022 NBA Finals. The Heat exploited that weakness last year, and it seems Isaac Okoro did a great job of forcing him to his left this game.
The low light is amusing, but Brown has improved his left-handed dribble this season. Unfortunately, those improvements over the regular season don’t matter if they end up being your biggest weakness in the Playoffs. Similar to this play, Brown had some embarrassing moments with his left hand over the season, despite the improvements.
Jaylen Brown Can Be The Celtics’ X-Factor
The Celtics need Jaylen Brown to be producing at a more consistent rate if they want to continue their winning ways. Game 1 is an excellent example, as Brown stepped up when Tatum was having a bad game and scored an efficient 32 points to earn the win for his team. But when he’s having a bad game, his situation on the court looks really rough.
Brown is averaging 23.6 points and 6.4 rebounds in the 2024 Playoffs, arguably the Celtics’ best player so far and outscoring teammate Jayson Tatum. His regular-season average of 23.0 points and 5.5 rebounds enabled the Celtics to be a 65-win team, who went 37-4 at home. Despite that, they have already lost two home games in the Playoffs already.
The team excels when he’s producing well, so it should be a priority to find more consistency. His two-way skill set ranks among the best in the NBA, but he’s proven to be spooked in big moments before.
The left-handed jokes are funny, but Brown can easily shut everyone up if the Celtics bring home their 18th title this season. Boston is still favored to beat the Cavaliers in Round 2 and then advance to face either a short-handed Knicks squad or an unseasoned Pacers squad.
Their only real challenge will come in the Finals, provided players like Brown can play up to their level and make it that far.
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