Jaylen Brown has been carrying the Boston Celtics through one of the most important seasons in recent memory. Once again, he reminded the basketball world just how far he has come. In a 120-99 blowout win over the Golden State Warriors at TD Garden, Brown did something that only nine Celtics players have ever done before him.
Jayson Tatum Praises Jaylen Brown for Reaching Celtics’ Top-10 Scoring List
A pair of free throws in the second quarter was all it took. With those 2 points, Brown surpassed Celtics greats Jo Jo White and Dave Cowens to enter the franchise’s all-time top-10 scoring list, bringing his career total to 13,193 points across 10 seasons in Boston. The TD Garden crowd responded with MVP chants, and they had a point.
Brown finished the night with 32 points on 11-of-20 shooting, adding 9 free throws, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists. It was a performance that felt almost routine by his standards this season, which tells you everything about where his game is right now.
In 61 games, he is averaging 28.4 points per game on 47.9% shooting, to go along with 7.1 rebounds and 5.1 assists. This performance and these numbers put him firmly in the MVP conversation in a year when few expected the Celtics to be where they are.
Tatum, who sits ninth on the all-time list at 13,884 points and is next in Brown’s sights, was generous with his praise after the game.
“Obviously, congrats to him,” Tatum told reporters. “It just goes to show the dedication and the commitment that he’s made to his craft and getting better every single year. It’s just been cool to see. I’ve seen him the last nine years develop and just get better each and every year and turn into the player he is now. It’s just cool when you get rewarded for the work that you put in.”
The milestone carries extra weight given the season’s context. With Tatum missing most of the year after suffering an Achilles injury, Brown stepped into the role of undisputed franchise leader, and he has not blinked. The fact that he is now closing in on his career high of 1,784 points in a single season, set back in 2022-23, with a few weeks still remaining, speaks to the level he has maintained throughout.
Brown is now 10th on a list that includes some of the greatest players in basketball history. Ahead of him sits Bill Russell at 14,522 points, and beyond that, names like Kevin McHale, Bob Cousy, Robert Parish, Larry Bird, Paul Pierce, and John Havlicek, who leads the franchise all-time with 26,395 points.
