Jaylen Brown believes he has done enough to win the NBA MVP award this season, but the Boston Celtics star says the standard for the award seems to change every time he meets it. Speaking on the Cousins podcast alongside Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady, Brown explained that while the MVP would be a great honor, it still comes second to winning another championship.
“Oh, it would be cool. It would be nice. But in terms of like, winning an MVP versus winning the championship, it’s a big gap for me. I’d rather play for another championship. But it would be nice. That’s not in my control.”
“I feel like I fit the criteria. I feel like I’ve, you know, especially with what people were saying about me before the season, that I couldn’t do it or I wasn’t capable of being this or being that. I’ve been able to shoulder that and also help lead my team to where we are now.”
“But people constantly just move the bar. Now we fast forward, and now I don’t have enough to fit the criteria. So I probably never will. No matter what.”
From a statistical perspective, Brown’s argument is not without merit. He is averaging 28.3 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 5.1 assists while shooting 48.0% from the field and 34.8% from three-point range. Those numbers represent one of the most complete seasons of his career. More importantly, Brown has carried Boston through a season that few expected to be this successful.
The Celtics currently hold a 43–22 record and sit second in the Eastern Conference, just 3.5 games behind the Detroit Pistons for the top seed. What makes that even more impressive is the context surrounding the roster.
Boston entered the season with major uncertainty. Jayson Tatum missed large portions of the year while recovering from an Achilles injury before recently returning to the lineup. The Celtics also lost key pieces from their championship roster, including Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday, in offseason trades.
Because of those changes, many analysts expected Boston to take a step back and hover outside the play-in range. Instead, Brown elevated his game and turned the Celtics into one of the biggest surprises in the league.
His leadership has also stood out. With Tatum sidelined for much of the season, Brown became the clear offensive engine and emotional leader for a younger roster. He embraced the role and delivered some of the best basketball of his career. Even LeBron James recently questioned why Brown’s name is not being mentioned more often in the MVP conversation. James noted that leading a team expected to struggle into the upper tier of the standings should carry significant weight.
Yet the MVP race remains crowded with dominant seasons from players such as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, Cade Cunningham, and Victor Wembanyama. That competition partly explains why Brown currently sits outside the top tier of MVP candidates despite his impressive production.
For Brown, however, the bigger issue is perception. Throughout his career, he has often been viewed as the second star next to Tatum rather than a franchise centerpiece. This season has given him the opportunity to challenge that narrative.
Whether he ultimately wins the MVP or not, Brown has already proven something important. When the Celtics needed someone to take control during a season filled with uncertainty, he stepped forward and delivered like a true superstar.
