Anshari Taslim
Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown recently matched a franchise record held by legendary forward Larry Bird, achieving his ninth consecutive game with 30 or more points. The milestone was reached late Sunday night during a road game against the Portland Trail Blazers, a contest the Celtics ultimately lost, 118-115. Brown’s record-tying point came from the free-throw line following a pull-up three-pointer from the top of the key, where he was fouled by Donovan Clingan after utilizing a screen from Neemias Queta.
Despite the team’s narrow defeat, Brown delivered a dominant performance, finishing with 37 points, seven rebounds, and four assists on 14-of-23 shooting from the field. This marked his 19th 30-point game of the current 2023-24 season, a figure surpassed only by reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who has recorded 23 such outings.
Brown’s exceptional individual play has become a defining narrative for the Celtics this season, particularly in the wake of Jayson Tatum’s indefinite absence due to a torn Achilles tendon. Stepping into the primary offensive role, Brown is in the midst of what many consider the finest season of his professional career. Through 31 games, he is averaging 29.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per contest, all career highs. His shooting efficiency has also seen a significant uptick, posting splits of 50.6% from the field, 37% from three-point range, and 77.9% from the free-throw line.
Currently ranked sixth in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for scoring, Brown has led the Celtics in points in 24 of the 29 games he has played. His consistent high-level output has been critical for Boston, especially following an offseason that saw several key contributors depart. The loss to Portland interrupted a four-game winning streak for the Celtics, who currently hold third place in the Eastern Conference with a 19-12 record. For context, at the same 31-game mark last season, the team was 23-8.
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Brown’s statistical surge positions him favorably for individual accolades. A fifth All-Star selection and a second All-NBA team nod appear increasingly likely. Should he maintain this trajectory, discussions around Most Valuable Player (MVP) votes and a potential First Team All-NBA selection would not be unwarranted. His consistent brilliance has been a focal point for the Celtics, and his process for offensive production remains unchanged from earlier in the season.
As the Celtics prepare for their upcoming matchup against the Utah Jazz, where Brown has an opportunity to extend his 30-point streak to a franchise-record 10 consecutive games, a closer examination of his current campaign against historical Celtics scoring seasons reveals just how remarkable his performance has been.
Scoring Average: Chasing Franchise Marks
In terms of basic scoring average, Jaylen Brown is on pace to join an exclusive club of Celtics players who have averaged at least 27 points per game. This group includes Hall of Famers Larry Bird and John Havlicek, along with contemporary stars Jayson Tatum and Isaiah Thomas. Brown’s current average of 29.7 points per game would place him third on the franchise’s single-season scoring list.
The possibility exists that Brown could not only join Tatum as the only players in Celtics history to average 30 points in a season but potentially surpass Tatum’s existing franchise record of 30.1 points per game set in the 2022-23 season. Larry Bird’s 1987-88 season, where he averaged 29.9 points, stands as the second-highest.
| Player | Season | PPG |
|---|---|---|
| Jayson Tatum | 2022-23 | 30.1 |
| Larry Bird | 1987-88 | 29.9 |
| Jaylen Brown | 2023-24 | 29.7 |
| John Havlicek | 1970-71 | 28.9 |
| Isaiah Thomas | 2016-17 | 28.9 |
| Larry Bird | 1984-85 | 28.7 |
| Larry Bird | 1986-87 | 28.1 |
| John Havlicek | 1971-72 | 27.5 |
Percentage of Team Points Scored: A Singular Effort
Brown’s elevated role has seen him carry a substantial offensive load for Boston this season. The team currently lacks another consistent 20-point scorer, with Derrick White and Payton Pritchard being the only other players averaging at least 15 points. In games he has participated in this season, Brown has accounted for 25.7% of the Celtics’ total points. Overall, considering the two games he has missed, he has scored 861 of the team’s 3612 points, equating to 23.8% of their offensive output.
Historically, no player in Celtics history matches the dominance of Paul Pierce in terms of the percentage of team points scored in a season. Pierce holds the top four single-season percentages, including a remarkable 27.1% in 2001-02. No other Celtic has ever exceeded 25%. Brown’s current 23.8% places him tied for ninth on this all-time list, alongside John Havlicek’s 1970-71 campaign. This metric, however, must be viewed through the lens of evolving NBA offensive trends. The Celtics average 116.5 points per game this season, significantly higher than the 96.4 points per game averaged by the 2001-02 Celtics during Pierce’s record-setting year.
| Player | Season | Percentage of team points |
|---|---|---|
| Paul Pierce | 2001-02 | 27.1% |
| Paul Pierce | 2002-03 | 27% |
| Paul Pierce | 2000-01 | 26.7% |
| Paul Pierce | 2005-06 | 26.3% |
| Isaiah Thomas | 2016-17 | 24.8% |
| Larry Bird | 1984-85 | 24.4% |
| Larry Bird | 1987-88 | 24.4% |
| John Havlicek | 1971-72 | 24.3% |
| Jaylen Brown | 2023-24 | 23.8% |
| John Havlicek | 1970-71 | 23.8% |
Efficiency: Volume Meets Accuracy
Perhaps one of the most compelling aspects of Brown’s current season is his ability to blend high volume with impressive efficiency. He is averaging a career-high 21.5 shot attempts per game while simultaneously achieving career bests in field-goal percentage (50.6%) and true shooting percentage (59.8%).
Among the eight seasons in Celtics history where a player averaged at least 27 points per game, Brown’s field-goal percentage ranks fourth, and his true shooting percentage ranks fifth. Furthermore, his usage rate of 36.2% is notably the highest among this elite group (usage rate data for Havlicek’s seasons is unavailable). This indicates that Brown is not only taking a large proportion of his team’s shots but doing so at a highly effective rate, a testament to his improved offensive repertoire.
| Player | Season | FG% | TS% | USG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Isaiah Thomas | 2016-17 | 46.3% | 62.5% | 34% |
| Larry Bird | 1986-87 | 52.5% | 61.5% | 27.5% |
| Larry Bird | 1987-88 | 52.7% | 60.8% | 30.2% |
| Jayson Tatum | 2022-23 | 46.6% | 60.7% | 32.7% |
| Jaylen Brown | 2023-24 | 50.6% | 59.8% | 36.5% |
| Larry Bird | 1984-85 | 52.2% | 58.5% | 28.5% |
| John Havlicek | 1970-71 | 45% | 51.3% | — |
| John Havlicek | 1971-72 | 45.8% | 51.2% | — |
High-Scoring Games: Surpassing Personal Bests
Brown has already registered 19 games with 30 or more points this season and has reached the 40-point mark on three occasions. He is on pace to comfortably exceed his previous single-season career highs of 22 30-point games and three 40-point games.
The Celtics’ record for 30-point games in a season belongs to Jayson Tatum, who achieved 42 in 2022-23. There have been eight instances of a Celtics player recording at least 30 30-point games in a single season. Brown is well-positioned to join this elite group and, if his current pace continues, could potentially challenge or even surpass Tatum’s record.
| Player | Season | 30-point games |
|---|---|---|
| Jayson Tatum | 2022-23 | 42 |
| Larry Bird | 1987-88 | 39 |
| John Havlicek | 1970-71 | 38 |
| Larry Bird | 1984-85 | 37 |
| Paul Pierce | 2001-02 | 33 |
| Larry Bird | 1986-87 | 31 |
| Isaiah Thomas | 2016-17 | 31 |
| John Havlicek | 1971-72 | 30 |
For 40-point games, Jayson Tatum and Larry Bird share the Celtics record with 11 such performances in a season. Ten instances exist of a player recording at least five 40-point games. Brown is expected to easily join this club, though he will need to continue his high-scoring ways to catch Tatum and Bird’s top marks. Brown’s career high is 50 points, a threshold he has yet to reach this season. Jayson Tatum (2021 and 2022) is the only player in franchise history with multiple 50-point games in a single season. The Celtics’ all-time single-game scoring record of 60 points is shared by Bird (1985) and Tatum (2021).
League Comparison: A Top-Tier Scorer
Brown’s current average of 29.7 points per game places him sixth in the NBA. Tracing back to Ed Macauley, who finished third in league scoring in 1951, a Celtics player has finished in the top six in scoring on 29 separate occasions.
While no Celtics player has ever led the league in scoring, several have come close. Larry Bird (1985), John Havlicek (1971), and Bob Cousy (1954 and 1955) all finished second. Isaiah Thomas (2017), Paul Pierce (2002), and Ed Macauley (1951, 1952, and 1954) each finished third. Brown is unlikely to overtake Luka Dončić (33.7 points per game) or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (32 points per game) for the top two spots this season, but Tyrese Maxey (30.7 points per game) in third place remains within striking distance.
| Player | Season | PPG | League rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bob Cousy | 1953-54 | 19.2 | 2nd |
| Bob Cousy | 1954-55 | 21.2 | 2nd |
| John Havlicek | 1970-71 | 28.9 | 2nd |
| Larry Bird | 1984-85 | 28.7 | 2nd |
| Ed Macauley | 1950-51 | 20.4 | 3rd |
| Bob Cousy | 1951-52 | 21.7 | 3rd |
| Ed Macauley | 1952-53 | 20.3 | 3rd |
| Ed Macauley | 1953-54 | 18.9 | 3rd |
| John Havlicek | 1971-72 | 27.5 | 3rd |
| Larry Bird | 1987-88 | 29.9 | 3rd |
| Paul Pierce | 2001-02 | 26.1 | 3rd |
| Isaiah Thomas | 2016-17 | 28.7 | 3rd |
Contextualizing Historical Comparisons
Directly comparing scoring seasons across different eras of NBA basketball presents inherent challenges due to significant rule changes, pace variations, and strategic shifts. For instance, Bob Cousy’s 19.2 points per game in 1954, which placed him second in the league, now ranks as the 105th highest-scoring season in Celtics history, highlighting the dramatic increase in offensive production over decades.
The absence of the three-point line during John Havlicek’s prime and its limited use during Larry Bird’s career further complicates comparisons. Bird, despite being an all-time great shooter, averaged only three three-point attempts per game during his best scoring season in 1988. Brown, by contrast, is attempting 5.6 three-pointers per game this season. This raises questions about how Bird’s scoring profile might have changed in a modern offensive scheme that encourages more long-range shooting.
Paul Pierce’s 2001-02 season, where he averaged 26.1 points but scored a franchise-record 27.1% of the team’s points, stands out. This occurred during the NBA’s "dead-ball" era, characterized by lower scoring and slower paces. Later in his career, Pierce shared offensive touches with future Hall of Famers Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, which naturally impacted his individual scoring averages. Considering these circumstances, some analysts regard Pierce’s 2002 campaign as one of the most impactful scoring seasons in Celtics history, despite his lower raw point per game average compared to today’s stars.
Similarly, Isaiah Thomas’s "magical" 2016-17 season warrants special consideration. His 28.9 points per game that year represent the highest single-season scoring average in NBA history for a player listed under six feet tall, underscoring the extraordinary nature of his offensive output given his physical stature.
Ultimately, ranking the "best" scoring season in Celtics history involves a degree of subjective interpretation, influenced by individual preferences and emphasis on different statistical categories or contextual factors. However, irrespective of where Jaylen Brown’s 2023-24 campaign ultimately lands in such debates, there is undeniable consensus that he is delivering one of the most impressive and historically significant offensive performances in the storied history of the Boston Celtics franchise.
| Player | Season | Scoring average | Percentage of team points | Efficiency (min. 27 ppg) | High-scoring games | League rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jayson Tatum | 2022-23 | 1st (30.1) | Not top-10 | 4th | 1st (30pt) / t-1st (40pt) | 6th |
| Larry Bird | 1987-88 | 2nd (29.9) | 7th | 3rd | 2nd (30pt) / t-1st (40pt) | 3rd |
| Jaylen Brown | 2023-24 | 3rd (29.7) | 9th | 5th | TBD | 3rd |
| John Havlicek | 1970-71 | t-4th (28.9) | 10th | 7th | Not top-10 in either | 2nd |
| Isaiah Thomas | 2016-17 | t-4th (28.9) | 5th | 1st | 7th (30pt) / 10th (40pt) | 3rd |
| Paul Pierce | 2001-02 | 15th (26.1) | 1st | N/A | 5th (30pt) / N/A (40pt) | 3rd |
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