Kendrick Perkins Says Jaylen Brown Has “MVP on His Mind” After Explosive First Half vs. Warriors

Joseph Galizia | 19/03/2026
Mar 18, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) makes the basket against the Golden State Warriors in the first quarter at TD Garden

The Boston Celtics, not surprisingly, steamrolled past the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday, and Jaylen Brown was the main man, stamping his authority from the get go. It’s been the story  of the season for the Celtics so far. They were written off when Jayson Tatum was expected to miss most of the campaign. But Brown kept going and is one of the best players in the Eastern Conference, if not the best.

Brown is averaging 29.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game, but that doesn’t even tell the full story. The former Finals MVP has done a tremendous job being the backbone of the Celtics as its face player when Tatum was recovering from his torn Achilles.

Even when Tatum miraculously returned earlier this month, Brown didn’t slow down. He dropped 41 points against the Wizards one night ago, then came out soaring today against the Warriors with 23 first half points. Kendrick Perkins has seen enough and wants the rest of the NBA to now give Brown the credit he deserves.

“Jaylen Brown would never get an invite to my house for Thanksgiving, because he’s leaving nothing on the table and he’s going to take a plate home,” began Perkins on NBA on ESPN. “That’s what we are witnessing right now.”

The main point was not lost despite this ridiculous analogy. Brown is hungry, and he’s about to eat any defense that gets in his way.

“He’s coming out, fresh off of 41 the night performance against the Wizards last game and he’s still in attack mode. You know why? Because he still has MVP on his mind,” claimed Perkins.

Brown hasn’t been shown enough respect this season despite putting up the best stats of his career. Back in December, he even took a dig at the league, opining that to win the MVP, one had to “sell their soul”.

“He know that he has to finish the season strong,” Perkins continued. “He wants that accolade. This man wants to be great. He wants to be cemented with the tops and the best of the league.”

Well, he’s doing just that. Jaylen is playing 2025-2026 like it’s his last even though there are many more in front of him. It’s as if he wants everyone to remember that his Finals MVP in 2024 was not fluke. He’s been an MVP candidate the entire time.

Brown ended the night with 32 points against the Warriors, having a relatively quiet second half when the game was effectively sealed. The Celtics won 120-99.

Post Edited By: Somin Bhattacharjee
boston celtics Jaylen Brown Kendrick Perkins

About the author

Joseph Galizia

Joseph is a Las Vegas based actor and circus performer. For the last seven years he's had the pleasure of covering sports for multiple outlets, including the Lifestyles section of Sports Illustrated. In that time, he's conducted over 50 interviews with athletes, filmmakers, and company founders to further cement his footprint in the journalism world. He's excited to bring that skillset to the SportsRush, where he'll be covering the NBA news cycle.

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