Jaylen Brown crushed a major milestone Sunday, hitting his 10,000th career point in the Boston Celtics 124-107 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.
Brown scored the bucket in large part to his good friend, Kristaps Porzingis. Nicknamed “Cookies & Cream,” the two have become one of the most dominant pick-and-roll duos in the league. With the screen assist by Porzingis, Brown rolled to the basket through three Portland defenders.
And with finesse, the Georgia native followed through with his left hand. It’s quite ironic he scored his 10,00th career bucket with his left, especially after such scrutiny he’s faced with that hand.
A Celtics fan favorite, Brown joined the club within the first minute of the second half and acknowledged the C’s loyalty with a wave to the crowd. Along with a standing ovation, TD Garden displayed 10,000 points on the jumbotron. It’s not every day a player is allowed to experience such a special moment in front of their fans. He was quick to thank all of the fans who’ve supported him over the years, especially the JB faithful.
“It was great,” Brown told CLNS on achieving 10k in Boston. “Especially all of the supporters who’ve been supporting me from Day 1. Obviously, things have been up and down throughout the early stages of my career. I’ve been able to get different opportunities. Been able to improve, but also been able to gain more responsibility.”
“For the Day 1 JB fans who stayed in my corner since Day 1, feel that love, and I like to show that love right back.”
Now in his eighth season with Boston, Brown becomes the 15th member of the Celtics to join the 10k club. He joins teammate Jayson Tatum, who became the youngest player to reach 10,000 points in Celtics history. Arguably one of the top duos in the league, they both achieved the same milestone in the same season.
Brown told CLNS that the milestone means a lot to him, and didn’t want to “skip over that.”
“It’s been a great journey, even though the journey is still going,” said Brown. “I’m incredibly grateful and I’m looking forward to the future.”
According to Celtics.com’s Taylor Snow, Tatum scored his 10,000th point during the fifth game of the season against the Brooklyn Nets. For Brown, he achieved the milestone during the fifth to last game of the 2023-2024 season.
And with both Jays topping 10,000 points, they did so in games that totaled exactly 124 points. Talk about a coincidence.
For Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla, he admits, “it’s cool to be able to coach guys that get those type of milestones, to be a part of that. He deserves that because of the hard work that he puts in.”
In Boston’s victory over Portland, the former Cal star led the C’s to their fifth straight victory. In the contest, Brown finished with a team-high 26 points on 10-17 shooting, and 3-5 from deep. Stellar on the defense end, number 7 contributed one steal, one block, four rebounds, and two assists. As a defender, he held the Trail Blazers to 3-11 (27 percent) from the floor with five overall contested shots.
Extremely humble over his career, Brown said the achievement “speaks for itself,” especially given his upbringing. Growing up in a single-family household, the Celtics wingman is “incredibly grateful” to be in this position, attributing his success to “a lot of hard work and effort.”
In the Celtics historical 62-16 season, Brown is averaging 23.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.2 steals in 68 games. Averaging a career-high 50.2 percent from the floor, Brown has increased his physical strength and toughness to see looks at the basket. In continuation from last season, he’s putting up 11.5 paint points per game, completing 66.7 percent of his looks inside the restricted area.
Brown is having one of the best defensive seasons of his career. His dedication to enhancing his defensive presence has been the ultimate x-factor for the Celtics. Averaging 3.5 points off turnovers, Brown’s never been shy of guarding the most ferocious defender. His defense-first approach, instilled by Joe Mazzulla, has translated into several offensive opportunities.
Now in his second season as head coach of the Boston Celtics, Mazzulla has the honor of witnessing two of his players reach the same achievement in the same season. For Mazzulla, he gave the ultimate praise to the wingman.
“It means a lot just because of the type of guy he is,” Mazzulla told CLNS on Jaylen Brown’s milestone. “The hard work he puts in, and really the growth he’s shown this year— of working to become a complete player on both ends of the floor.”