Jaylen Brown

After his first All-Star season, Brown returns to the Celtics with even higher expectations. In 2020-21, Brown delivered per game career-highs in points (24.7), assists (3.4) and three-pointers (2.8), while shooting a career-best 48.4 percent from the field. With the departure of Kemba Walker to OKC, Brown and fellow All-Star Jayson Tatum are the undisputed leaders in Boston. Walker's absence should shift additional shots and ball-handling opportunities to Brown, Tatum and Marcus Smart. Despite Brown's five years in the Association, he turns only 25 years old in October. He has improved his points per game in each of his five seasons and shot a career-best 76.4 percent from the charity stripe last year. The only blemish on Brown's 2020-21 season was the occasional nagging injury. He missed Boston's last eight regular-season games and five playoff matches due to a wrist injury that required surgery in May. Brown is expected to be fully healthy by the start of training camp. New Celtic coach Ime Udoka has hinted at pushing Brown and Tatum harder than their previous coach -- the mild-mannered Brad Stevens. Boston is certainly ready for a culture change after last season's disappointing 36-36 season. Look for Brown to help lead that change and strive for his second All-Star season.

Brown proved last year that he was worth every penny of his new (at the time) four-year contract. The 23-year-old delivered career highs in points (20.3), rebounds (6.4), assists (2.1) and threes (2.3) per game while shooting a career-best 48.1 percent from the floor. Brown's emergence is helping Celtic fans cope with Gordon Hayward's departure -- a move that should create even more scoring opportunities for Brown, who already played 33.6 minutes per game last year. The main question is can Brown's game continue to grow in his fifth NBA season? Three-point volume and general shooting accuracy is a rare combination. Add quality rebounding and Brown could be knocking on the door of his first All-Star appearance, especially if Kemba Walker's knee problems persist. Look for head coach Brad Stevens to draw up more plays for his third "Big Three" member on nights when Jayson Tatum deserves a break. The arrow still points up for the University of California product.

Expectations for Brown before his third NBA season probably should have been tempered with the knowledge that Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving were returning to Boston's starting lineup. Brown went from 30.7 minutes per game and 70 starts in 2017-18 to 25.9 minutes per contest and only 25 starts last season. There were other concerns as well. Brown's three-point shooting dipped from 39.5% to 34.4%, and his poor free-throw shooting continued to hover around 66% -- unacceptable for a high-pedigree wing. The 3rd overall pick in 2016 lost his starting gig in late November to Marcus Smart and didn't recover until mid-April. But now the Celtic depth chart is considerably thinner due to the departure of Irving, Al Horford, Marcus Morris, Terry Rozier and Aron Baynes. And Smart will probably see more minutes at back-up point guard. Combine Smart's changing role with Morris' departure, and suddenly Brown has an opportunity to once again see 30 minutes per contest. Whether that's as a starter or leader of the second unit is yet to be determined. Smart's aggressive defense is an excellent complement to the offensive games of Kemba Walker and Jayson Tatum, leaving Brown as possibly the odd man out. The Cal product will be a restricted free agent at the end of this season. More consistent defensive intensity and improved free-throw shooting (maybe unlikely at this stage) would greatly increase the 22-year-old's market value. Brown will turn 23 in late October.

Brown’s demeanor makes it easy to forget that the number three overall pick in the 2016 draft will only be 22 years old heading into the 2018-19 season. Brown made the leap from inconsistent rookie to much-improved sophomore last season, significantly upping his production in every aspect of his game, except free throw shooting. Heading into his third season, Brown is entrenched as one of Boston's keystones, but his immediate value is difficult to gauge, given the return of Gordon Hayward from injury. Possessions will be harder to come by this season with Hayward and Kyrie Irving, who also missed a chunk of time last season, back in action, but if Brown can continue to defend at an elite level and hit close to 40 percent of his three-pointers, as he did last year, Boston will find a way to get him shots. Even so, how he'll fit within the best collection of talent in the East is a major question mark, particularly after the emergence of Jayson Tatum, who may be the most untouchable player on the league's deepest roster. At the very least, Brown should be able to closely replicate last season's production, perhaps with a slight downturn in scoring if Hayward returns at 100 percent. Whether Brown can maintain his three-point efficiency, as well as improve at the charity stripe, will also be something for Fantasy owners to keep an eye on.

Yes, that was 20-year-old, third overall pick (2016 draft) Jaylen Brown you saw playing a lot of point guard during summer league games in Utah and Las Vegas. Why all the ball handling for a 6’7” top prospect considered a natural small forward? Prior to summer league, the Celtics signed Gordon Hayward and drafted Jayson Tatum, that’s why. In addition, Avery Bradley was sent to Detroit to clear up contract room for Hayward. That means the Celtics are stacked at small forward, but have open minutes at shooting guard. Brown already received 15-plus starts at shooting guard last year when Bradley was injured, so this isn’t really a position switch for Brown. Plus, Coach Brad Stevens has said he doesn’t see traditional positions, instead relying on “a ball handler, a wing or a big”. That may be especially true for Brown, who could occasionally set up plays or square up for corner threes on offense, while trying to stop the likes of LeBron James on defense. The big question is will Brown or Marcus Smart get the start at shooting guard. Smart is atop the depth chart now due to seniority. But Stevens really likes bringing Smart’s defense and post-up offense off the bench, taking advantage of backup opponent mismatches. Brown is also a much better catch-and-shoot option than Smart, which is helpful when fellow starter Kyrie Irving is on the floor. That thinking means Brown has the long-term advantage towards gathering more starts. In addition, the three for one Irving trade with Cleveland weakens Boston’s depth. Whether starting or coming off the bench, expect Brown’s minutes to greatly exceed last year’s 17.0 minutes per game. The ceiling is high for Brown. It will be interesting to see how Stevens balances striving for the Finals while also developing young stars Brown and Tatum.

The Celtics made Brown the No. 3 overall pick in the 2016 draft, adding even more young talent to one of the league's deepest rosters. While Brown's upside may not be as high as that of Ben Simmons or Brandon Ingram, he has the makings of an intriguing swingman at the NBA level. Capable of playing and guarding up to three positions, Brown averaged 14.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists as a freshman at Cal last season, teaming with fellow five-star freshman Ivan Rabb to lead the Golden Bears to the NCAA Tournament. The 6-foot-7 Brown thrives as an attacker in the open court, but he struggled shooting the ball, converting 43.1 percent of his field goals and only 29.4 percent of his three-point looks. Failure to improve as a jump shooter could limit Brown's effectiveness as a rookie, but he's an all-around talent who should defend at a high enough level to warrant consistent minutes off the bench. Brown is projected to back up Jae Crowder at small forward, and he could also see time at shooting guard, as well as at power forward in small-ball lineups.