Stephen A. Smith and Jaylen Brown have been going at each other for weeks. But when another ESPN reporter dropped a stat that basically called Brown a role player, Smith drew the line.
Bobby Marks reported this week that he spoke with an analytics guy who told him some teams view Brown as the seventh-best player on a given roster. Not seventh-best in the league. Seventh-best on one team. That’s a brutal assessment for a guy who just averaged 26.6 points and led Boston to the second-best record in the East while Jayson Tatum was out.
Smith didn’t hold back.
“Now this is utterly ridiculous,” Smith said on his show. “I have no doubt that Bobby Marks was told what he said he was told — he’s incredible at what he does — but there is no way in hell Jaylen Brown is the seventh-best player on any team in the NBA. He may be the best two-way player in the league. Yes, it’s me saying this. Folks be on some b.s. Stop it!”
That’s a sharp turn for Smith, who has been critical of Brown in the past. Brown recently accused Smith of being unethical in his reporting, which made the public back-and-forth personal. But on this one, Smith sided with the player.
The numbers behind the noise
The claim came from an anonymous analytics source, so it’s impossible to verify. But Marks is respected around the league for his cap work and front-office knowledge. If he says a team told him that, they probably did. The question is whether that opinion is widespread or just one front office being weird about a guy who’s made All-NBA and finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting.
Brown’s advanced stats have never been as flashy as his highlights. His player efficiency rating and win shares tend to lag behind guys like Tatum, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Joel Embiid. But calling him the seventh-best player on any team in the NBA is a stretch that even Smith couldn’t stomach.
And the timing matters. Boston is reportedly listening to trade offers for Brown. Marks reported that potential suitors were stunned by Brown’s analytical numbers, which apparently rank him outside the top five on his own team. That’s a tough sell for a guy who just made All-NBA second team and is entering his prime at 27 years old.
Trade value and reality
Brown hasn’t requested a trade. His name is out there because the Celtics are trying to upgrade a roster that came one win short of the NBA Finals last year. Boston reportedly offered Brown in a package for Giannis, but Milwaukee went with Miami’s deal instead. That doesn’t mean Brown is damaged goods. It means the Bucks wanted a different return.
But the analytics whisper campaign could hurt Boston’s leverage. If teams genuinely believe Brown is a borderline top-100 player, the Celtics aren’t getting a monster offer. Smith’s defense might actually help Brown’s trade stock by pushing back on the narrative.
Either way, it’s weird to see Smith go to bat for a guy he’s been feuding with. Maybe he just hates bad analytics more than he dislikes Brown.
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