Jaylen Brown, post hoc playmaker

I’ve been told the post-up is dead. If that is the case, Jaylen Brown is a necromancer (and so is Kristaps Porzingis for that matter). He’s not only revived the post-up; he’s thrived with it. Jaylen has long been an efficient post-up scorer, able to bully defenders, spin off either shoulder and get to the rim, or simply bury one of his picture-perfect fades.

But as Jaylen has matured, he’s developed a deeper understanding of the game, and orca hunting patterns. He’s now leveraging his elite post-up scoring to playmake for his teammates. The results have been so good, there isn’t a word in English that can accurately capture it, so I’ll make one up: acrazing? We are still workshopping it. Anyway, here are the numbers per Synergy.

One. Hundred. Eight. Point. Seven. True. Shooting. Absolutely acrazing. That is the Celtics’ true shooting from spot-ups that are generated by Jaylen Brown post-ups. The Celtics are scoring an absurd 150.7 points per 100 possessions when Jaylen Brown either shoots or passes out of a post-up regardless of the shot type of the final shot.

JB’s post playmaking is built off the back of his elite scoring efficiency there. When he receives the ball in the post, teams have no choice but to send help, and if they don’t, your best defense is basically fouling him. I mean just look at how Detroit is defending this post-up, and he’s not even really all that close to the hoop!

This play ends with Jaylen absolutely whipping a pass across the teeth of the defense to a very enthusiastic Al Horford, who appears to know the answer to his teacher’s question and really wants to answer it.

On this one, he gets triple teamed by Charlotte. At least he’s within 10 feet of the rim this time.

Once Luke Kornet clears his passing lane, Jaylen throws a lefty dart to a wide-open Jordan Walsh. Great read, better pass. You have to guard Jaylen Brown post-ups with a crowd, and when you do, Jaylen will make you pay.

He’s also used the post-up as a way to limit turnovers on his drives. A younger version of Jaylen would often force drives against the teeth of a waiting defense (see 2023 Miami Heat series), which often led to turnovers. Now, instead of trying to force his way through and losing the handle, he just turns his back and creates contact. He’s got a 7.7% turnover percentage on post-ups (including passes), which is more than 10% lower than his TOV% on pick-and-roll ballhandler possessions. This slower paced attack allows his teammates to read the defense and float along the 3-point arc or cut to the rim for easy buckets.

Here, Kyle Kuzma helps just a bit on JB’s post-up. It’s a subtle shift from Kuz, but Derrick and Jaylen both read it. White is able to cycle back to the top of the arc, and Jaylen hits him with a quick pass. Since the pass is timed perfectly, Kuzma is lunging at White, which gives Derrick a nice stroll into a middy.

Very similar situation here with Nikola Vucevic. JB gets cut off and almost loses the handle, but by turning this into a post up, his body is between Ayo Dosunmu and the ball. It allows him to maintain possession and find KP, who Vooch has to leave to help middle on the Brown post-up.

Also, by turning drives into post-ups, it’s much easier for him to see doubles coming when they do arrive. He’s able to survey the court and the reads are simplified. The key this season is that Jaylen has been taking advantage of them mercilessly. Double comes; pass goes. Easy, elite, efficient offense.

He also uses the threat of his other talents to get himself into advantageous post positions. Sometimes confusing defenses so bad, he can’t even properly post-up because they can’t get on his body.

Coby White is terrified of Jaylen’s vicious backdoor cut, so when JB stops and posts, White is scrambling to body him up. Then JB flashes another aspect of why his post playmaking has been so good — he makes an extremely quick decision. White’s not in good position, so JB just spins off his left shoulder baseline. Lavine has to help from the deep corner, which leaves White (Derrick), wide open. Money.

Jaylen’s post playmaking is just a plotline of the larger narrative around Jaylen Brown and his career. He came into the league a raw 20-year-old with a long way to go. He’s made that journey at a breakneck pace with massive jumps and micro leaps along the path. The way he’s reading the court, especially out of the post, has opened up a new dimension of the Celtics’ offense, which has more dimensions than string theory at this point. His continued progression has been a joy to witness, and watching him add a new wrinkle every season will never get old.

Jaylen Brown has turned himself into one acrazing player.