Throughout the first half of the 2025-26 NBA season, Jaylen Brown has defied all of his doubters. The veteran forward has stepped into a leading role for the Boston Celtics in the absence of Jayson Tatum. And, in doing so, he’s emerged as one of the best two-way scorers in the entire league, along with arguably being the best mid-range scorer the NBA has to offer, too.
During a recent appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show,” ESPN’s Shams Charania admitted that Brown’s name must be involved with the MVP debate this season. He pointed to where the Celtics currently sit in the Eastern Conference (second) as a key reason why.
“The Celtics are once again dominant,” Charania said. “…You have to give Jaylen Brown a lot of credit. You think about MVP candidates, he has to be up there. His game, he’s going to be an all-NBA player. He’s already been voted as an All-Star starter. So, you know, what he’s been able to do to propel this team to being a top-three seed in the Eastern Conference without Jayson Tatum. And we’ll see if and when Jayson Tatum returns…during the second half of this NBA season. But, you know, when I look at the Eastern Conference, I think of Boston.”
Brown has been putting up monster numbers this season. In 40 games this season, the All-Star forward is averaging 29.8 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.8 assists on 48.8% shooting and 36.4% from three-point range. If Brown can clean up his clutch-time free-throw shooting, he will be a borderline unstoppable scoring force.
“Jaylen Brown has to be in the MVP conversation for what he’s done with this Celtics team..
Boston could be a team looking to make a move before the trade deadline” ~ @ShamsCharania#PMSLivepic.twitter.com/3Brhpavexf
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) January 23, 2026
Unfortunately for Brown, he will face significant competition for the MVP award. There are multiple elite players having incredible seasons. Still, if he keeps playing at his current level, and this version of the Celtics keep stacking wins, he will undoubtedly become hard to ignore.
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This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Shams shows support for Boston Celtics’ star’s MVP case
