Celtics’ Jaylen Brown on mission: ‘Y’all focus on the wrong stuff in the media’

Jaylen Brown picked his spot, picked his matchup, and picked his moment.

Brown’s already strong season took a sharp turn upward Saturday night, when he dropped 50 points against the Clippers and asked to take Kawhi Leonard defensively. No hiding. No shortcuts. Just two-way work.

That part matters to Brown. A lot.

“Y’all focus on the wrong stuff in the media,” Brown said afterward, via The Athletic’s Jay King. “Y’all focus on offense and tough shot-making. I just think that’s not basketball. Basketball is rebounding. Basketball is defense, defensive versatility, making plays.”

Brown wasn’t just talking. He was backing it up.

According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks, Brown is now second in the league in opponent field goal percentage, holding matchups to 39.4 percent. Only Cason Wallace ranks better. Victor Wembanyama sits just behind him.

The Celtics weren’t stunned. They were nodding.

“When I saw that Player of the Month, with the stats he put up in December, I knew what was coming,” teammate Luka Garza said. “I didn’t know it’d be 50. But I knew he’d try to prove a point.”

Message received.

Brown isn’t chasing a label. He’s redefining it.