For the first time in his 10-year NBA career, Jaylen Brown will be an All-Star starter. Amid a career season, Brown has been selected by fans, other NBA players, and the media as one of the five Eastern Conference players to start in the All-Star game.
Alongside Brown, Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey, and Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham will all represent the Eastern Conference.
Brown has been named to the All-Star team four times, but always as a reserve. But, that will change next month when he heads to Los Angeles.
The five players honored as starters from each conference are selected by fans (50% of the vote), current NBA players (25%), and a media panel (25%). The seven players honored as reserves from each conference are selected by NBA head coaches.
In the last iteration of publicly-released fan voting, Brown was ranked 6th in the Eastern Conference, trailing Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell, so it’s likely he got a boost from his fellow players, as well as the media (though the NBA has not released a voting breakdown).
In the Western Conference, Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembenyama, and Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic will all be All-Star starters.
Jaylen Brown is having a career year
This season, Brown has averaged 29.7 points and 4.8 assists, both career-highs. He’s shooting 49.1% from the field, 36.7% from three, and 79.1% from the line, a career-best.
Before this year, his best statistical season came in 2022-23, when he was named to the All-NBA Second Team after averaging 26.6 points and shooting 49.1% from the field.
But what’s made this season so impressive for Brown is that he’s doing it with a far less star-studded supporting cast. With Jayson Tatum sidelined and Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford, Luke Kornet, and Jrue Holiday all departed, the Celtics have exceeded external expectations and currently hold the East’s second-best record at 26-15. They also boast the NBA’s second-best overall net rating at +7.3, and since December 1st, they have the best record in the NBA at 15-6.
Next month, when the All-Star game takes place on February 15th in Los Angeles, Brown will be rewarded for a career year with an accolade he’s never before received.
