Jaylen Brown

Jaylen Brown did the prudent thing when confronted by one of the league’s preeminent shot blockers — he passed. The Boston Celtics’ two-time All-Star blows by his initial Brooklyn Nets defender on a baseline drive before a confrontation with Nic Claxton, whose eyes light up with hopes of a swat the moment Brown goes aerial beneath the basket. Instead of attempting the difficult reverse layup, Brown executes a perfectly-timed dump off to a cutting Robert Williams III for a two-handed slam. The Celtics ran circles around their Atlantic Division rivals, with Brown posting 26 points, three rebounds, three assists and seven three-pointers in 12 tries in Boston’s 139-96 victory on February 1, 2023.