Jaylen Brown Hinting That His Secret Nickname With Kristaps Porzingis Is "Cookies & Cream" Is Absolutely Perfect
One of the best storylines of the Celts seasons so far has been the growing bromance of Jaylen Brown and Kristaps Porzingis. Since Day 1 it became clear that these two have a special bond. Every time KP would mention Jaylen's name and what it was like playing with him, he couldn't hold back his smile. Then we learned they live in the same building and hang out all the time and it started to make sense why they make such beautiful basketball magic on the floor together
As the year has gone on, it's pretty clear that Brad Stevens bringing in KP had more to do with just giving Tatum another elite scoring option or having a player to bust switching defenses. This was a move that was just as much about helping Jaylen Brown take that next step as a player and unlock the exact parts of his game that are the things to help take him to that next level. As you can see above, it's working better than any of us could have imagined.
In terms of their 2 man game, the numbers speak for themselves. Of Jaylen's XX ASTs on the season, 39 of them have gone to KP. That's 12 more than the next closer player (Derrick White). A total of 18.4% of all Jaylen's passes go to KP, who is shooting 46.9/38.5% off those looks.
If you look at the Celts' 2 man lineups, Porzingis and Jaylen have shared the floor in 30 games, for a total of 790 minutes. In those minutes together, they have a 122.5 Ortg / 109.4 Drtg / +13.1 net rating. That is the 3rd highest net rating of ANY Celtics pairing who has played at least 790 minutes, trailing only Tatum/White (+13.8) and Jaylen/White (+13.4) which makes sense given that Bald Derrick rules. As you can see, this pairing is clearly working.
Earlier in January, Kristaps Porzingis let the world know that he and Jaylen Brown have created a secret nickname for each other, but he wouldn't reveal it
I'm a big believer in nicknames have to be organic. You can't force it. Just because these two are unstoppable on the floor together doesn't mean they need a nickname if it isn't going to feel right. I was nervous that was the situation we had here given that KP didn't want to let it out, but it appears Jaylen Brown has done it for him
Let's be very clear here. Cookies & Cream for Jaylen/KP is PERFECT. If this isn't actually the secret nickname, I am going to petition that it is. I mean just think about it. Not only is Cookies & Cream on the GOAT list of ice cream flavors, but the combination of flavors work together perfectly. There has never been a time in any person's life where they eat cookies & cream ice cream and say
"You know what, this combo doesn't work"
The same is true for Jaylen/KP. There has not been a single second they've been on the floor together where any Celtic fan has ever said the words
"You know what, this combo doesn't work"
When you eat cookies & cream ice cream, it delivers every single time. Sometimes you get an awesome bite of just the oreo, and to me that's like a Jaylen isolation or Jaylen dunk. Sometimes you get a bite that's mostly cream, but has a little bit of oreo sprinkled in. To me, that's a Jaylen dish to KP either on a pick and pop or in the post to exploit a mismatch. When you break it down, it all works exactly how a nickname should.
Granted it's a little different from Jaylaps Brozingis
but I think it works just fine.
Everyone knows how powerful a good nickname can be, and now that we know what this dynamic duo's is and how good it is, part of my delusional brain is convinced it plays a role. You can't tell me it doesn't.
P.S.
I know there are no free ads and whatnot, but I have to say I made my first batch of cookies & cream ice cream/soft serve the other day with my Ninja Creamy that I got for Hanukkah and holy shit. Imagine being able to make an oreo McFlurry or a Blizzard in the comforts of your own home? It's life changing. I'm willing to concede the fact that me having it for desert last night may be impacting how I feel about this nickname because it was so fucking delicious, but if anything that just confirms to my brain how awesome it is.