The 2025-26 NBA regular season is winding down, and all year long, the Boston Celtics have been arguably the biggest surprise across the league. Even with Jayson Tatum missing the year as he recovered from a torn Achilles tendon, the Celtics didn’t skip a beat, thanks in large part to a breakout season from Jaylen Brown.
For much of his career, Brown has worked as the 1B to Tatum’s 1A. With Tatum out, though, he has taken the opportunity to show what he is capable of when he’s the focal point of Boston’s offense. The result has seen Brown emerge as a legitimate MVP candidate, but with just a couple of games left on the schedule, he admitted that he doesn’t think he will walk away with the award.
Jaylen Brown Drops Truth Bomb on His MVP Case
Through the first nine years of his career, Brown accomplished quite a bit with the Celtics. He earned four All-Star selections, a spot on the All-NBA Second Team in the 2022-23 campaign, and a championship in 2024, with his strong play earning him Finals MVP. And yet, there were still doubts about whether or not Brown could lead Boston without Tatum on the floor alongside him.
Brown has put those concerns to rest in emphatic fashion this season. Through 70 games, he’s averaging career highs across the board (28.8 PPG, 7 RPG, 5.2 APG) while still shooting 47.6% from the field, even though his volume of shots has increased dramatically. On defense, Brown is averaging a steal per game while frequently taking on the challenge of guarding the opposing team’s top scorer.
Even with those strong numbers, Brown isn’t exactly an analytical darling like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic are. And yet, something has to be said for what Brown has managed to do for the Celtics this season, both individually and from a team-wide perspective. Brown knows he probably isn’t going to win the MVP Award this season, but he believes he is just as deserving of the honor as any other player in the league.
“Analytically, probably not honestly,” Brown admitted in an interview with Ramona Shelburne of ESPN when asked if he believes he’s the NBA’s Most Valuable Player. “But I put my blood, sweat, and tears into this season … The analytics don’t quantify who I am and who my spirit is.”
Should Jaylen Brown Win the 2025-26 MVP Award?
GettyBOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – MARCH 25: Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics looks on during the second half against the Oklahoma City Thunder at TD Garden on March 25, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Celtics defeat the Thunder 119-109. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
The criteria for the MVP Award in the NBA is one of the most controversial debates in all of sports. Just look at Jokic, who is currently averaging a triple-double for the Denver Nuggets. In the eyes of many, that makes him the de facto frontrunner, but when it comes to the current betting odds for the award, he finds himself behind Gilgeous-Alexander and Victor Wembanyama.
Brown’s numbers don’t stack up to these guys, but the impact he’s had on the Celtics is hard to quantify. Without him taking his game to another level, Boston doesn’t find itself in a position to go on a title run in what was supposed to be a gap year. So while he may not win MVP, Brown has managed to give the C’s an opportunity to win something even more important (a championship) over the next few weeks.
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