Jaylen Brown talked big and made progress against LeBron James

For Celtics rookie Jaylen Brown, his first ever playoff experience will forever be remembered not for his play on his court but for his comments about Cavaliers superstar LeBron James before Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Brown had shown tenacity in Game 1 by being one of the better Celtic defenders against James. The Cavs All-Star still finished with 38 points, nine rebounds and seven assists yet Brown had at the very least made life semi-difficult for James when they were matched up. This brief stretch apparently gave him unwavering confidence and prompted him to tell reporters that James was just another guy.

“LeBron’s a good player, but I look at him as just another guy to me,” Brown told CNS New England. “So I gotta come out and compete just like he’s got to come out and compete. I gotta tie my shoes just like he ties his shoes. There’s bigger threats in my neighborhood than LeBron James, so I have no fear — I have no fear whatsoever of LeBron.”

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Brown likely said this so he could be in the right headspace for the game. By making James seem normal, he would be able to better handle the matchup. A simple psychological trick to psych himself up and quiet any nerves he may have had. Having this type of mentality unfortunately did not work in Brown’s favor.

James shot 66.7 percent from both the field and perimeter in Game 2 and finished with 30 points. Brown, meanwhile, led the Celtics with 19 points but was a minus-14 and had three turnovers. Also a sequence of Brown sitting on the bench looking dejected instantly became a meme, causing the Celtics rookie to be lampooned on Twitter.

That wasn’t the only run-in Brown had with James in the series. During Game 4, James absolutely cooked Brown with a spin move and dunk that left the Celtics rookie stunned and seemingly stuck in cement.

The move was met with some derision by Celtics fans and LeBron haters online as it does appear like James may have carried the ball or traveled. Brown, however, had hit the ball which allowed James to regroup and finish in a blink of an eye. Despite this, the Celtics rookie was still unsure if James executed a legal play.

“I couldn’t see, but I knew it was something,” Brown told reporters. “Because I was guarding him, forcing him to the baseline, and I was forcing him to the fadeaway. It looked like he was about to take it. And then he put the ball back down on the ground or carried it and brought it around. And the ref was standing right there. I’m expecting him to make the call, but he didn’t.”

Brown’s one-sided back and forth with James brings back the memory of Pistons forward Stanley Johnson talking smack to the Cavaliers star in the first-round of last year’s playoffs.

Johnson was very braggadocios during that series, which the Pistons lost in four games. And similar to Brown, Johnson directed plenty of trash talk at James but couldn’t really do much to slow him down. Also similar to Brown, Johnson’s trash talk showed a lot of moxie for such a young player and gave a glimpse at how his confidence could help further develop his game in the future.

However, a strange thing happened with Johnson — he took a step back in his sophomore season and lost the confidence of Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy. Was this a direct result of Johnson talking smack to James? Probably not, but he did come at the King and missed, which has already defined his career even though he has only played two seasons.

So could the same thing happen with Brown? Who’s to say. But Brown showed a lot mettle this season and in the playoffs that points to a rather large upside. He rose to the occasion in his limited minutes and even played through a hip pointer injury in Game 5. This was quite contrary to the beginning of the season, when Brown, who the Celtics drafted with No. 3 overall pick, looked raw and unsure of himself.

Brown is just 20-years-old, though, so growing pains throughout his rookie year would only be natural. Yet he didn’t wallow in despair and showed improvement as the season progressed.

His defense, which he was touted when getting drafted, lived up the hype and Brown has the potential to be excellent wing defender. His shooting is a work in progress but his ability to attack the rim was a great asset to the Celtics. And while he never had any monster games for the Celtics (his career-high is 20 points), when given the opportunity, he was a steady contributor.

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Brown may not take a huge leap forward next season but that should just be fine for Boston. The Celtics kept their pick in 2016 and drafted him because they want Brown to be a building block for the future, not the present. But if Brown further develops on the defensive end, it will surely earn him a more consistent role on the Celtics.

For now, that’s really all the Celtics need from Brown and if he improves his shot and ball handling over the summer, then he will become an even better well-rounded player. Couple all of this with the brashness he displayed during his brief matchup with James and the Celtics have a player in Brown, whose future will likely be directly tied to the success of the franchise in the years to come.