Jaylen Brown: 'I'm Playing the Best Basketball of My Life' After Celtics Contract

After signing a historic contract extension with the Boston Celtics during the offseason, Jaylen Brown believes he's entered the prime of his career.

Speaking to The Athletic's Jay King, Brown said he's "playing the best basketball of my life" on both ends of the court right now.

There was a lot of surprise when Brown signed a five-year, $303.7 million extension with the Celtics in June. The deal was the richest in NBA history, though that was as much a product of timing on his part and the salary cap than an indication he's regarded as the best player in the league.

Brown has certainly been an invaluable part of Boston's roster since being drafted No. 3 overall in 2016. He was named to the All-Star team twice in the past three seasons and made the All-NBA team last season for the first time in his career.

On a statistical level, Brown's performance so far this season isn't at the same level it has been. His 45.9 field-goal percentage is his worst since he was a rookie. He's averaging 22.2 points and 3.2 assists per game, his fewest in a season since 2019-20.

Brown admitted the changes made to Boston's roster over the summer have required him to change the way he plays.

"We've got a lot of players that we're going to need to contribute," Brown said. "I still want to maintain my aggressiveness because that's a part of who I am, but also finding those guys in space, on time, with great deliveries, allowing them to be able to play free and play with confidence."

The individual results haven't been there so far for Brown, at least not like in previous seasons, but the Celtics are doing just fine. They have the best record in the Eastern Conference (15-5) and lead the NBA with a plus-8.5 net rating.

If the Celtics are playing at this level with Brown not at his peak statistically, it's scary for the rest of the league to think about where they can get if his numbers to match how he believes he's been playing on both ends of the floor so far.