Manning: Potential Assists Good Coaching Tool for Jaylen Brown

BOSTON — The microscope placed on Celtics star Jaylen Brown narrowed last week when ESPN posted a graphic to Instagram emphasizing that Brown posted 0 assists and 43 shots over a two-game stretch against the Pacers and 76ers. Joe Mazzulla knew the numbers too, and had a rebuttal prepared when they came up again one week later following the Celtics’ win over the Cavaliers on Tuesday.

“That’s one of the most misleading stats of all time,” Mazzulla told CLNS Media post-game. “You know why? You know what has to happen for you to get an assist? … so we we look at our potential assists and to me, it’s one of the most misleading things to say a guy didn’t get an assist. That doesn’t mean he didn’t pass. It doesn’t mean he didn’t make the right read. It just meant on his potential assist opportunities, those shots didn’t go in. And I think that’s what’s important for our guys, what success looks like — Jaylen averaged like 5.5 potential assists in those two games, and in reality, we don’t need him to average more potential assists. We need him to score. We need to put him in position to where he can get out in transition and run. He can get those easy baskets, he can get inside the paint, and so I make sure I talk to them about, ‘yeah, 43 or whatever it was and zero assists, but here are your potential assists and here are the two or three possessions where you may have been able to take another play.'”

“But for this team, it’s important that success isn’t defined by stuff like that because it’s misleading.” 

That response struck the right balance by Mazzulla, defending his star, while empowering him to continue playing the way they want and importantly positioning a point of improvement at the end. The potential assist itself doesn’t reveal a top-tier playmaker, it’s still arguably Brown’s biggest weakness as he averages 3.3 assists to 2.5 turnovers per game. We discussed the stat two years ago at the beginning of Ime Udoka’s first season, another area that reveals some overlap between the last two Celtics coaches largely contrasted by their public approach to discussing Boston’s players. Mazzulla won’t come out and criticize Brown’s playmaking, and that’s fine, as long as the focus remains on growth internally. If positive reinforcement works for Brown — all the better.

We know Brown wants to continue honing his dribbling, passing and ability to make reads within the flow of the Celtics’ offense. Especially with Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porziņģis added to the mix, he needs to make the most of his touches and balance his aggressive scoring touch that remains his strength alongside a willingness to keep the ball moving. That’s a continued adjustment for Brown, who like Jayson Tatum entered the league and began his career as a score-first forward. Udoka challenged the pair to improve as primary playmakers, then Mazzulla’s offense emphasized taking advantage of how different defenses cover the Celtics’ stars and exploiting it. Porziņģis helps immensely as an easy target, undoubtedly helping reduce Brown’s turnovers when he’s stuck.

“That’s the role that I want. That’s the role that I want to continue to show, improve in and I appreciate the coaching staff for continuing to allow me to be a playmaker,” Brown said late last month after the Celtics beat the Hawks. “I definitely feel like I’ve grown a lot, even this season, in that role and teams are gonna continue to try to take away certain things from me. Being patient enough to find the right reads and find our guys in stride, getting open looks — one, it builds confidence for our team, but it also puts a lot of pressure on other team’s defenses. So continuing to find that line of making those right reads, but not losing any of my aggression. Part of what’s made me who I am is I’m aggressive. If I see a lane, I take it, if I get the ball, I’m aggressive every time I touch it, but also having the patience to see when to go, when not to go and who’s open. So it’s just a balance. That’s it.”

That’s led to stretches and games where Brown ripped the lid off the basket when shots wouldn’t fall for his teammates. Brown scored Boston’s first four baskets, all acrobatic finishes in the lane against Jarrett Allen and other traffic, while the Celtics’ other players didn’t record a make until nearly 10 minutes into the first quarter.

Yet last month, questions emerged about how Brown fit into this new-look Celtics roster, particularly after his 5-for-17 showing against the Hornets where he missed Porziņģis wide open late as the Hornets finished a late fourth quarter comeback to win in overtime on the following possession. He responded with eight assists and one turnover two nights later in a win over the Bucks.

“One, it’s not overreacting to a long year, you’re gonna have bad games, and two, it’s just his habits. Regardless if he plays well or not, he does the same thing,” Mazzulla said that night. “Same routine after shootaround, with his film and reads on the court with his coaches. So for him, he stays even-keeled, it’s easy to trust him and know he’s gonna work his way back.”

That’s what makes the potential assist argument easier to accept, that Brown spends so much time after practice with assistant coach Tony Dobbins and others watching film, working through progressions and reads. He’s working on it, and while it might simply prove to be his weakness as a player alongside other strengths, that motivation remains to get better.

If potential assists — Brown averages 6.7 per game — show him progress in ways that the raw number doesn’t, that only helps the team. Tatum also mentioned those discussions helping him. Everyone deals with them though, Tyrese Haliburton averaging 20.3 to lead the NBA and more than 40 players surpassing 10 each night.

That leaves Brown 82nd in the league and Tatum 55th, to showcase their standing in the wider hierarchy of creating for teammates, and while acknowledging Boston plays more equal opportunity facilitating, with less overall passes (263 passes, 27th) and assists (24.8, 26th), while focusing on exploiting mismatches, it leaves desired improvement for Boston’s two stars. The secondary assist, which Boston ranks tied for sixth in (3.9 per game) exhibits their ability to get into some of their longer passing sequences — which might be Brown’s key stat (T-41st).

“Something that we also try to emphasize is your hockey assist as well,” Dobbins told CLNS Media on Thursday. “Because if they commit two on the ball and you make a quick pass out, the shot might actually come from the next guy … we had a play last game where he had it on the block and he dribbled out and the pass actually didn’t come into the opposite corner. It was a pass out from him — drawing two pass, pass — and then another one.”

“Statistically, nowhere in the box score does that show up, but if you’re watching the game, that was a great read. He drew two on the ball, there was no hesitation to get the ball out and then our offense benefited from it. If you just look at the assists total at the end of the game that play doesn’t come up, but if you’re watching a game or us, we’re evaluating the game, we have to acknowledge that and make sure he knows, that was a great read you made and that shot there doesn’t happen if you don’t make the read to start it … and then when it doesn’t happen, say, ‘hey this was an opportunity for you to make this play that you made in the Cleveland game, but we weren’t able to make it because on the initial read, it wasn’t as clean as it was the last time.'”