It looks like Jaylen Brown still can’t go left.
Jaylen Brown had himself a pretty great summer. Despite his Boston Celtics being eliminated in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals, Brown was named Second-Team All-NBA, an honor that triggered a massive bonus on his next contract extension. Brown would eventually ink a five-year, $304 million “supermax” deal that went down as the biggest contract in NBA history.
Brown’s contract will be surpassed by the next player who signs a supermax extension, but it was still jarring to see someone who isn’t even the best player on his own team sign a record deal. While Brown is a very good player, his poor series against the Heat in the conference finals highlighted some of the low-hanging fruit in his skill set that would make him much more effective if it could be improved.
One area of Brown’s game that has always been weak is his handle — particularly with his left hand. This has been a problem for Brown since his college days at Cal, and while he’s improved gradually there over the years, it still holds him back, especially when he tries to go left. Brown’s awful Game 7 against the Heat put his handle under the microscope once again: he finished with eight turnovers, and shot 8-of-23 from the field, as Boston blew its chance at making back-to-back NBA Finals appearances.
As the Celtics began training camp for a new season this week, the hope was that Brown’s left-handed dribbling ability would improve. Based on this short clip posted by the Celtics, it did not.
If for some reason you don’t believe that Brown struggles with his left, here’s a short video compilation of his left-handed turnovers against the Heat in Game 7. You can watch all eight of his Game 7 turnovers here.
The offseason is the perfect time for a player to improve their weaknesses. Brown has done that before: he made a big leap as a three-point shooter between his rookie and sophomore seasons, and gradually learned how to increase his volume from deep. Now someone tie his right hand behind his back before the season starts so he learns the control the ball a little better with his left.
The Celtics are loaded this season either way after trading for Jrue Holiday last week to complete Portland’s trade of Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks. Bucks vs. Celtics sure feels like it’s going to be the Eastern Conference Finals in 2024. Brown better not turn the ball over so often this year when the season is on the line.
