Former Celtics Guard Says Jaylen Brown Should Be Face of NBA: Exclusive

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Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics

Jaylen Brown’s stock is rising around the NBA. The Boston Celtics forward is having a career year, leading the Celtics scoring charts while helping establish the team as a top-three seed in the Eastern Conference.

For a player once dubbed “too smart for the NBA,” Brown has proven himself to be one of the best forwards in the league. And, according to former Celtics guard Nate Robinson, that blend of intelligence and talent should make Brown a candidate to become the face of the NBA.

“He’s probably the smartest NBA player of all time,” Robinson told Heavy on Sports, via Zamsino. “IQ-wise, he’s like an Einstein-type level. That’s the type of guy you would want to be the face of the league. He stays outta trouble. He does so many great business ventures. He’s always going back to Cambridge and going back to colleges and speaking to the students and people who are in his field.”

Robinson continued.

“And people who can benefit from the knowledge that he gives. I mean, why not? It makes no sense why they don’t push him as one of the faces of the NBA.”

Brown, 29, is averaging 29.4 points, 6.8 rebounds and 4.9 assists over 44 appearances this season. He’s shooting 48.3% from the field and 35.5% from deep. He might not be a top-five talent, but when you factor in his philanthropic work, along with his commitment to education, it does make sense to push him as a potential face of the NBA.

Celtics Duo Are Batman and Superman

For most of Brown’s career, he’s been viewed as the “1B” to Tatum’s “1A.” However, Robinson sees both stars as essential to the Celtics chances of adding more championship banners to the rafters, as long as they can work together.

“It’s not a Batman and Robin situation,” Robinson told Heavy on Sports. “Instead, it’s like Superman and Batman. It’s like two alpha males hooping. You gotta not play a lesser role, but whoever is the one who has it going that night, the other person turns into, you know, the Robin, but yet they’re both Batman or Superman, if that makes sense.”

Both Brown and Tatum are capable of taking over games. They’ve co-existed within the Celtics rotation for their entire careers. Yet, for some reason, they continue to be pitted against each other by the media and even some sections of the fanbase.

Tatum May Not Return This Season

For the past few months, there’s been a growing belief that Tatum could return from his Achilles tendon injury before the end of the season. However, according to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, that may not be the case, as the All-Star forward weighs his options.

“Boston Celtics All-Star forward Jayson Tatum told ESPN on Wednesday night that he hasn’t made a decision about whether he will return from a torn Achilles tendon this season because he “wants to get it right the first time, so it’s just a lot to think about,” Shelburne reported.

In fairness, waiting until the summer would likely reduce Tatum’s risk of re-injury. But, for now, all Celtics fans can do is wait and see what decision he and the front office make.

Adam Taylor is a basketball reporter covering the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks and Miami Heat for Heavy. He holds bylines for CelticsBlog, USA Today and Yardbarker. Adam also covers the WWE and AEW. He has a bachelor’s degree in creative writing from Open University. More about Adam Taylor