Boston Celtics
“We all knew he could do it. It’s just when guys get more of an opportunity, they get to show it.”
Jaylen Brown guards Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff
March 26, 2026 | 8:42 AM
4 minutes to read
As Jaylen Brown composed himself at the charity stripe, a familiar refrain echoed throughout TD Garden.
“MVP! MVP! MVP!”
It’s been a tried-and-true chorus on Causeway Street this season, with Brown leading the way for a Celtics team that is looking more and more like a legitimate title contender this spring.
Wednesday marked the latest statement from Brown and his teammates. In a potential NBA Finals preview, the Celtics toppled the Oklahoma City Thunder, 119-109, besting the reigning champions and holders of the best record in the league.
Brown once again impressed on the parquet floor, scoring 31 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists in the victory.
“I really wanted that win. That was well-needed,” Brown said postgame. “We needed that as well. We know we could play with anybody, but when you get a win on your own floor against the team that has the best record in the league, it feels good.”
Brown’s contributions on Wednesday have been par for the course for the 29-year-old star — especially during a season where he has embraced the role as Boston’s go-to scorer and leader.
At one point, it was looking like the 2025-26 season was destined to be a “bridge’ year in Boston, given Jayson Tatum’s extended absence due to an Achilles injury.
Further shuttering the Celtics’ title hopes was a painful offseason in which Boston traded both Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis to alleviate a cap crunch. The departures of frontcourt regulars Al Horford and Luke Kornet in free agency also compounded Boston’s woes.
But Brown made the most of his new title as Boston’s de facto No. 1 option. Following Wednesday’s win, Brown is averaging career-highs in points (28.6), rebounds (7.0), and assists (5.2) per game — spearheading a resilient roster that has augmented its personnel under Joe Mazzulla’s watch.
Given both Brown’s impressive stat line and the Celtics’ continued success in what was initially deemed a lost season, it should come as little surprise that Brown has gained some momentum as a viable candidate for league MVP.
Count Tatum among those who aren’t surprised by the strides that Brown has made this season.
“This season, he’s been able to be in positions and moments of really just taking control,” Tatum said postgame of the difference in Brown’s game this year. “And moments throughout the course of the game, late game, he’s just been able to really have those reps. Not that he didn’t have them over the years that we played together, right?
“We won a championship, and he made big plays in every game that we’ve been in. But I think now, this season, he’s just been able to take more ownership. Obviously him and all the other guys have been able to carry more weight. We all knew he could do it. It’s just when guys get more of an opportunity, they get to show it.”
Jayson Tatum on the difference in Jaylen Brown now:
“This season, he’s been able to be in positions and moments of really just taking control. And moments throughout the course of the game, late game, he’s just been able to really have those reps. Not that he didn’t have them… pic.twitter.com/YgaiPsIcsI
— Justin Turpin (@JustinmTurpin) March 26, 2026
While Brown has made the most of his opportunity this season, he was quick to credit the rest of Boston’s reworked depth chart for putting this team in a position to contend.
“This team has just been awesome all year,” Brown said. “It’s been a very fun season. Our guys have really developed from trying to find their footing in this league, trying to find a rhythm, trying to find their confidence, to really competing against some of the best teams in the league.
“Our guys have really developed from Baylor [Scheierman] to Hugo [Gonzalez], to Jordan [Walsh], even Ron [Harper Jr.] and so forth and so on. … That’s what we’re gonna need going forward in the playoffs. Just win as a team.”
Of course, the return of Tatum has also loomed large over the Celtics as they continue to stake their claim as a team to be feared when the calendar flips to April and the playoffs begin.
Tatum also stuffed the stat sheet on Wednesday against OKC, finishing with 19 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists, three steals, and a block in what stood as his eighth game back from his devastating Achilles injury.
Tatum’s accelerated return from an injury that usually robs a player of a full season of basketball has given Boston another Swiss Army Knife to slot into Mazzulla’s lineup.
Even if Tatum’s shooting and offensive contributions might be a bit limited this year as he shakes off the rust, his defensive versatility, rebounding efforts, and playmaking acumen are already paying dividends.
Brown might be drawing plenty of attention as an MVP contender this season. But the Celtics star acknowledged that Boston’s ability to orchestrate an improbable championship run this season won’t be feasible unless both he and Tatum are playing at a high level in the coming months.
“Felt like a playoff game. The crowd was into the game, and I felt like that was a great, encouraging game for JT,” Brown said, adding: “It felt like that was a step in the right direction.
“We’re still encouraging him to get back to that level of aggression that we know and are used to. But I think today was a great game of him making the right plays, making the right reads, being physical, and being Jayson Tatum. I think it’s a step in the right direction.”
Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.
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