BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – JULY 17: Celtics President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge reacts during a press conference introducing at the Auerbach Center at New Balance World Headquarters on July 17, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Tim Bradbury/Getty Images)
By Ty Anderson, 985TheSportsHub.com
Danny Ainge and Jaylen Brown beat the buzzer on Monday.
Facing a Monday night deadline to get a rookie extension done, Ainge and the 22-year-old Brown finalized a four-year, $115 million extension to keep Brown away from what would’ve been a risky summer as a restricted free agent. For Brown, it’s one hell of a payday for a player who spent a large chunk of the 2018-19 season as an off-the-bench player. And for the Celtics, it’s buying in on the potential that made Brown the No. 3 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft.
But it’s a deal that Ainge seemed more than happy about given his comments in the immediate aftermath of the extension.
“Jaylen has made tremendous strides over the last three years and has become a fantastic player for us on both ends of the court,” Ainge said in the team’s official press release. “He’s a great person and hard worker who, at 22 years old, can score and defend against the best players in the NBA. Jaylen is a true professional who did a great job accepting his role last season, and he is a major part of our championship goals.”
One of Boston’s more unique talents, the Celtics are hoping that a freed up roster — the Celtics lost Kyrie Irving and Al Horford to free agency, and Marcus Morris, who ate into Brown’s minutes last year, also left Boston — will allow Brown’s game to return and excel to the level that helped push the C’s to the third round in the 2018 NBA Playoffs.
Brown has averaged 12.1 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 44 career postseason contests, but was it at his best during that ’18 playoff run, averaging 18 points per night and shooting nearly 47 percent from the field.
The Celtics will open the 2019-20 season on Wednesday night against Horford and the Sixers.