Jaylen Brown Says He's 'Not Too Good' for Summer League, Could Play 2 Games
July 9, 2018
Boston Celtics swingman Jaylen Brown helped lead his team to within one victory of the NBA Finals last season, but that doesn’t mean he thinks he is too talented to compete in summer league in Las Vegas.
Brown said he isn't "too good for summer league" to Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated on Monday and suggested he could play in two games.
Spears noted the California product—who is entering his third season in the NBA—is in Sin City as the host of "The Experience," which is a networking bowling event for current and former players.
While Brown's humble approach is admirable, summer league typically features rookies and youngsters looking to garner critical experience and find their footing at the NBA level. Not often does someone who played such an important role as his team battled LeBron James in the Eastern Conference Finals take the floor in Las Vegas.
Brown averaged 14.5 points and 4.9 rebounds per game last season behind 39.5 percent shooting from three-point range.
He and fellow young wing Jayson Tatum saw their roles elevated after the team lost Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving to injuries, and he responded by averaging 18.0 points a night in the postseason.
Brown is just 21 years old and one of many bright spots on the Celtics roster heading into the 2018-19 campaign. This season is taking on an NBA Finals-or-bust feel for Boston after the team reached Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals without Irving and Hayward—especially after James departed for the Western Conference this offseason—and Brown is a primary reason for the optimism.
He doesn't think he is above NBA Summer League basketball, but the risk of such an established piece of the rotation suffering an injury in an exhibition contest outweighs the value of him playing in Las Vegas.