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Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown just finished what was arguably his best month of basketball in his 10-year career. However, it still wasn't enough to be named Eastern Conference Player of the Month, as New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson received that honor on Friday night.
In December, Brown averaged 31.7 points per game while shooting almost 54% from the floor. The 2024 NBA Finals MVP scored under 30 points in just one game in that span and tied the legendary Larry Bird's franchise record for the most consecutive 30-point performances (9). For his efforts, Brown was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week twice in December, which was more than any other player.
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With this in mind, Brown's dismay over the Player of the Month snub makes some sense. All he could do was shake his head (virtually).
Last month, Brown averaged more points, rebounds, and steals than Brunson while shooting it better from the field and beyond the arc. He even posted his season-high during a win over the Knicks in early December, notching 42 points to Brunson's 15.
The NBA may have held the number of games Brown played against him. He participated in 10 in December while Brunson entered 14 (counting the NBA Cup Final). Although the last game of the in-season tournament doesn't count toward a team's overall record, perhaps the league was still influenced by the fact that Brunson was the NBA Cup MVP.
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Regardless of what caused the NBA to choose Brunson over Brown, the latter star doesn't agree. He responded to a few comments on Instagram that shared his disapproval:
Perhaps the four-time All-Star can use this as fuel, as he's made a habit of turning disappointment into motivation.
His next opportunity to prove the NBA messed up is on Saturday night when the 21-12 Celtics face the red-hot Los Angeles Clippers in Inglewood.
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This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Celtics star Jaylen Brown shook his head (virtually) after missing out on Player of the Month
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