LeBron James praised Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown as an overlooked NBA MVP candidate following the Celtics' 111-89 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. Brown scored 32 points to lead all scorers in the game. James highlighted Brown's career-high scoring and leadership amid team challenges.
In Sunday's matchup, the Boston Celtics defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 111-89 on the road, with Jaylen Brown topping the scoring chart at 32 points. This performance drew comments from Lakers forward LeBron James, who questioned why Brown is not receiving more MVP consideration.
Brown is averaging 29.2 points per game, ranking fourth in the league in scoring and leading in field goal attempts per game—a personal best for the Celtics guard. Despite these stats, he sits sixth in MVP odds at +5000 according to FanDuel, behind frontrunners like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Thunder at -145, Nikola Jokić of the Nuggets at +270, and others including Cade Cunningham, Victor Wembanyama, and Luka Dončić.
"JB is playing great basketball, man," James said after the game. "This whole MVP thing, I don't understand why his name is not getting talked about some, as well. Nobody gave them a shot to start the season. He's averaging, what, 30? Just under 30. It's a popularity contest sometimes."
James attributed Brown's motivation to preseason doubts about the Celtics, who lost Jayson Tatum to a torn Achilles and key players like Jrue Holiday, Al Horford, and Kristaps Porziņģis, revamping their championship roster. Yet, the Celtics hold second place in the Eastern Conference, defying expectations of missing the playoffs.
"I think he's just using motivation of a lot of people saying that they're going to have a down year because of JT being out, them losing Jrue [Holiday]," James added. "Al [Horford] leaves. [Kristaps] Porziņģis leaves. Their whole championship team pretty much is revamped. He uses that as motivation to keep them afloat. They're playing great basketball, and it's because of him and the rest of those guys. He's taken that next step."
Brown's efficiency ranks 12th league-wide, impacted by his increased usage as the team's leader in Tatum's absence. He has appeared in 51 of the Celtics' 56 games, more than leading MVP candidates.
