It sure looked like we were headed for a redux of the 2024-25 NBA MVP race between Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic. Both players had incredible campaigns last season and have somehow improved this time around. But for the injury!
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When Jokic went down with a hyperextended knee, it not just jeopardized the Nuggets’ chances of staying near the top of the West but it also seemed to hand SGA his second MVP on a silver platter. The injury is expected to keep Jokic out for at least a month.
However, there’s at least one player who looks ready to give SGA a run for his money. And it’s not someone that most people expected to be involved in these kinds of conversations when the season began. We are talking about Jaylen Brown.
The Celtics forward averaged 31.7 points per game through the entire month of December. And he only scored under 30 once, leading the team up the Eastern Conference standings. It looks like he’s only getting stronger now that the new year is upon us… He just dropped a 50-burger on the Clippers in a 146-115 win on Saturday night.
It would be easy to only notice Brown’s offensive stats as he keeps the Celtics from missing a beat since his longtime running mate, Jayson Tatum, is out. But Brown has long been one of the best defensive forwards in the league. And this year, he seems to have taken that up a notch as well.
From @ESPNInsights
Brown is holding opponents to a 39.37% FG pct as the closest defender per GeniusIQ, ranking 2nd among 111 players to defend at least 300 FGA this season, behind Cason Wallace (38.06%) and just ahead of Victor Wembanyama (39.40%). https://t.co/bcGHO3PJ1O
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) January 4, 2026
Ranking ahead of Victor Wembanyama in any defensive metric is the kind of thing that’s mentioned in the first paragraph on your Hall of Fame plaque. So this is a real feather in Brown’s cap, and a testament to what a great two-way player he has been, even though the Celtics have asked him to give more on the offensive end than ever before.
Coming into Saturday’s game, the Clippers had won six straight while improbably transforming into one of the hottest teams in the league. Kawhi Leonard had been the biggest reason for this upswing, averaging over 37 points per game during that stretch.
However, Leonard finally cooled down against the Celtics, shooting 6-17 from the field. Take one guess why.
Joe Mazzulla says Jaylen Brown texted him on the plane, saying he wanted to guard Kawhi Leonard tonight.
Helped limit Kawhi to 35% shooting on one end.
Dropped 50 points on the other end. pic.twitter.com/vxv1Wem5w1— Taylor Snow (@taylorcsnow) January 4, 2026
So Brown not only lit it up with 50 points of his own, but he also specifically requested to guard one of the hottest players in the league and shut him down. The MVP buzz is real, folks.
Brown got snubbed for Eastern Conference Player of the Month in December in favor of Jalen Brunson. And it looks like it has motivated him to take his game to an even higher level. The rest of the league better watch out. And if Tatum returns as expected later this season, the Celtics should be right back in the title mix.
