5 breakout stars from the first round of the NBA Playoffs

4. Jaylen Brown, SF,  Boston Celtics

The second-year jump has been huge for Jaylen Brown. Gordon Hayward went down with a gruesome and tragic season-ending leg injury on opening night. Then Kyrie Irving had season-ending surgery. Each injury has just been an opportunity for Jaylen Brown to step up and prove himself.

With those stars being out, Brown has been asked to do the bulk of the scoring for the Celtics and he has responded big with 19.4 points and 5.1 rebounds per game, shooting an efficient 48 percent from the field. His field goal percentage tells a lot about how he has been playing this playoffs — attacking smart and picking his spots better than he did in his rookie year and even at points in the regular season.

Brown was huge against the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 1, scoring 20 points, then followed up that performance with something that hasn’t been done since Larry Bird — becoming the youngest player in franchise history to score 30 in a playoff game.

Brown is likely to miss Game 1 against the 76ers with a hamstring injury he suffered late in Game 7. The Celtics will need him back soon if they hope to continue advancing.