Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown has been excellent this season, his scoring average (30.1 points per game) the highest in franchise history. He had no better month than in December, his two-way dominance leading to him being placed in MVP conversations.
Yet, despite wrapping up December with 31.7 points and 5.4 assists per game while playing lockdown defense, he was not named Player of the Month. Instead, that honor went to New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson.
What Does Boston Celtics HC Joe Mazzulla Have To Say About Jaylen Brown’s Player Of the Month Snub?
Brunson averaged 30.6 points and 7.1 assists per game; it’s not as if he wasn’t playing out of this world himself. All the same, he wasn’t as consistent at either end of the floor. As Brown says, neither Brunson nor Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had as good a month as he did.
This weekend, Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla addressed Brown, expressing his disappointment in not being named the December Player of the Month: “I fully support him in it,” Mazzulla says, per ESPN reporter Ramona Shelburne. “I think he should have won it. And I hope he takes it out on our opponents for the next month.”
Interestingly, Mazzulla has built a reputation for being dismissive of individual accolades. For example, when he was named Coach of the Month in March 2025, he told WEEI reporter Justin Turpin, “it’s the dumbest thing ever.”
With that being said, his public support of Brown amid his disappointment at not being named Player of the Month in December is especially noteworthy. On the one hand, Mazzulla hopes Brown channels his frustration into wins, which is true to character. On the other hand, he clearly believes Brown was truly deserving.
After all, the four-time All-Star was just one game away from breaking Hall of Fame forward Larry Bird’s record for the most consecutive 30-point games in Celtics history. He’s second in defensive field goal percent (39.37) when he’s the closest defender, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks.
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
Perhaps most importantly, the Celtics went 9-3 in December and are now third in the East with a 22-12 record. For a team that won over 60 games in back-to-back seasons, they’re not playing quite up to their standards.
Yet, as they’ve been without six-time All-Star selection Jayson Tatum all season, they’re performing as well as anyone could reasonably expect. Indeed, when considering Brown’s case for Player of the Month, that context is arguably necessary.
As well as Brown has played this season, though, it’s certainly possible that he’ll have another chance to win Player of the Month. In fact, he just scored 50 points against Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday. So, maybe January will be the month his gifts are rewarded, even though it should have been December.
