Jaylen Brown headed to Puerto Rico after the All-Star Game and spent some of his time there playing basketball with kids. A video of him and the kids on the court did go viral, but unfortunately for the wrong reasons.
Jaylen Brown can’t dribble left vs some kids pic.twitter.com/swEQwyZjtc
— BrickMuse (@BrickMuse) February 20, 2024
NBA fans roasted Brown for not being able to dribble well with his left hand.
One said Brown would never beat the allegations.
Bro is never beating the allegations
— Saadiq (@3Diqq) February 20, 2024
A fan said Brown is "mid" even among children.
Bro is even mid among lilttle kids
— Abidem (@Abidemi8990) February 20, 2024
One wondered if Brown is the most unskilled player with a max contract in NBA history.
Is Jaylen Brown the most unskilled max contract player in the NBA?
— Sean Ilaguison (@servo101) February 21, 2024
A fan said Brown looks like Bambi on ice.
Jaylen Brown out here looking like Bambi on ice, no lie!
— Ryan Reimer (@Reimer77split) February 21, 2024
Brown needs to hit the gym, a fan stated.
Jaylen Brown might need to hit the gym and work on that left hand!
— marlene estrada (@marLeeNsiitaa05) February 21, 2024
While you get the jokes, Brown clearly wasn't being too serious here. He was just having some fun playing with kids and should be applauded for giving them an experience they will never forget.
That said, Brown, who is averaging 22.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game this season, needs to work on dribbling with that left hand. After the Miami Heat beat the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals last season, Caleb Martin revealed that the Heat's game plan was to force Brown to go left.
He struggled mightily as a result, averaging just 19.0 points in the series while committing 3.6 turnovers per game. It wasn't a great look for someone who had been drafted back in 2016, to still have such a big hole in their game. It led to Brown being criticized for not working on getting better with his left hand despite having earned over $100 million in salaries.
While the Celtics wouldn't have been too pleased by how the Heat neutralized him, they still gave Brown a five-year, $304 million supermax contract this past offseason. Then with all eyes on him during the Slam Dunk Contest, the 27-year-old seemed keen to show that he can now use his left hand, as he dunked with it while wearing a glove.
While he pulled it off on the first attempt, it's safe to say that fans were still not convinced. Brown also ended up being criticized over his dunks in the contest, as they were rather underwhelming.
Brown and every other star who took part in the 2024 All-Star Game was heavily criticized for just how uncompetitive it was. Players gave little effort and during his stay in Puerto Rico, the three-time All-Star said it would be tough to fix the All-Star Game.
“It's gonna be a tough one. Guys, we compete so hard during the year. When you get there, is like the only time we have in between… people don’t realize we play for 9 months straight. It will be hard to see a change”
“It will be hard to see a change from being fun. I think that’s what players prefer. I know the fans want to see us compete because we are the best in the world… You win nothing in the All-Star Game. It just media, bragging rights, maybe. Everybody is trying to stay healthy”
“It will be hard to see a change from being fun. I think that’s what players prefer. I know the fans want to see us compete because we are the best in the world… You win nothing in the #AllStarGame. It just media, bragging rights, maybe. Everybody is trying to stay healthy”
— Jorge Figueroa Loza (@jorgefloza) February 20, 2024
Brown certainly won't win any fans by making those comments, but at least he was being honest there. Anthony Edwards also said he views the All-Star Game as a break, and it seems to be the general view among the players.
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