How Jaylen Brown’s workouts with Steph Curry this summer helped him lock down the elite shooter
Brown helped the Celtics hold Curry to 6-of-16 shooting Monday night.
Monday night wasn’t Jaylen Brown’s first experience shadowing Steph Curry behind the 3-point line. But the most recent matchup was one of Brown’s most successful efforts at slowing down the future Hall of Fame guard.
Credit some of that success to the pair’s time training in the gym together this past summer.
During Brown’s postgame interview with NBC Sports Boston’s Abby Chin, Brown noted the time he spent with Curry when discussing his assignment for the night.
“Steph is one of the best players to ever play this game,” Brown said. “So it was great to be able to work out with him this summer and be able to lace it up, guard him and chase him around all night was pretty fun, too. We had a good one.”
Curry finished with 18 points on Monday, but his percentages were significantly below his marks for the season. Curry went 4 of 12 (33 percent) from 3-point range and 6 of 16 (37.5 percent) from the field, compared to his season averages of 45 percent from the field and 41.1 percent beyond the arc.
In the locker room, Brown expanded on his mentality taking on Curry on both sides of the ball.
“Just being aggressive, and just being physical,” Brown told reporters. “I’m guarding him so chasing him around, but on the defensive end making him pay as well … make him work.”
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla gave Brown credit for how he handled the matchup, and gave Jrue Holiday some flowers as well for his less visible role in slowing down the four-time NBA champion.
“I think that’s becoming an identity that he has, the ability to impact the game physically on both ends of the floor,” Mazzulla said of Brown. “The thing that can’t go unnoticed is the Steph-Gary Payton pick and roll is one of the best efficiency ones in the league. I thought Jrue’s ability to defend the Payton screening was huge for us to take that away.”
Brown also helped match up with Curry when the teams met in March of 2024. Boston won in similar blowout fashion, and Curry was limited to four points in that loss.
Given the Warriors’ injuries, Curry would have likely needed a masterclass performance to steal a win from the Celtics on Monday night. Brown made sure that wasn’t the case, and Boston won, 125-85, in Golden State.
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