Jaylen Brown dazzled on Saturday night at Intuit Dome. The star had his career high with 50 points, dominated both ends, and led Boston to a 146–115 blowout win over the Clippers to close a demanding West Coast trip. But after the final buzzer, Brown’s focus turned quickly from his own night to an athlete he admired the most.
The showdown capped a statement week for JB, who has been playing some of the best basketball of his career. Boston improved to 22–12 and finished the road trip 4–1, snapping the Clippers’ six-game winning streak in the process. His scoring came easy, but his postgame comments revealed where his competitive edge still lives.
Jaylen Brown Explains His Respect for Kawhi Leonard After Career Night
Following the win, Brown was asked about his matchup with Kawhi Leonard, a two-time NBA champion who entered the night averaging nearly 40 points during Los Angeles’ hot streak. Brown took the primary defensive assignment and helped limit Leonard to 22 points on 6-for-17 shooting, according to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne.
Brown said the challenge was intentional. He wanted Leonard. He wanted the responsibility. And he wanted to explain why Leonard’s career deserves more context than box scores often allow.
“I think Kawhi is one of the best two-way players of all-time. Offense and defense. His ability to take over a game. His defensive versatility, his offensive versatility. He’s derailed by injuries, but people don’t understand how much effort it takes to put so much energy into both sides of the ball.
Can easily just focus on offense and focus your energy on offense, but somebody who gives their all on offense and defense has wear and tear on their body. He was derailed by injuries, but in his prime in his peak he’s one of the best two-way players of all-time in my opinion.”
Jaylen Brown on Kawhi Leonard:
“I think Kawhi is one of the best two-way players of all-time. Offense and defense. His ability to take over a game. His defensive versatility, his offensive versatility. He’s derailed by injuries but people don’t understand how much effort it… pic.twitter.com/ROcjbHMm9S
— Joey Linn (@joeylinn_) January 4, 2026
The remark came on a night where Jaylen Brown showed exactly what that two-way tag looks like. He scored 50 points on 18-of-26 shooting in just 35 minutes, hit six threes, and still took on Kawhi Leonard defensively. Joe Mazzulla pulled him with 3:44 remaining as MVP chants echoed through the building, ending any chance to set a new personal scoring mark.
Boston’s offense was in complete form. The crew tied a season high with 146 points and knocked down 24 threes, matching their best long-range output of the year. They also controlled the glass 46–30, turning second chances into separation by halftime. By the fourth quarter, the result was no longer in doubt.
It bothered Brown as he didn’t get the Eastern Conference Player of the Month award for December. With that hanging over him, what he did on the floor meant more than usual. Rather than celebrate himself, Jaylen Brown chose to spotlight Leonard.
