The Boston Celtics took a chance on Jaylen Brown with the No. 3 pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, and the decision has worked out quite well so far.
Several mock drafts predicted the Celtics taking Jamal Murray, Buddy Hield or even Dragan Bender (!) with the No. 3 pick.
The Celtics selected Brown despite some concerns over his outside shooting and ball handling. Five years later, Brown has become one of the league's top 20 players and made his first All-Star Game this season.
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Today (June 23) is the five-year anniversary of the Celtics drafting Brown. Here's a look back at the moment it happened:
Brown is coming off the best season of his career.
He scored a career-best 24.7 points, 3.8 assists and 1.2 steals per game, while also averaging six rebounds. Brown also shot a career-high 48.4 percent from the field and 39.7 percent from 3-point range. It was a breakout 2020-21 season for the 24-year-old wing.
Boston Celtics
The ending was far from ideal, though. Brown suffered a wrist injury late in the regular season and missed Boston's first-round playoff series defeat to the Brooklyn Nets. But overall, the season was a positive step forward for Brown, who has shown impressive improvement over the last two years.
The Celtics are in a great spot with Brown and Jayson Tatum giving the team a solid foundation of two young stars under contract. The team's challenge right now is surrounding Brown and Tatum with enough talent to become a legit Eastern Conference contender again.