Marcus Smart or Jaylen Brown? Thinking Long-Term...

I will admit, I have been a huge "sit Jaylen Brown" advocate this season.  Even prior to the Brown injury I was calling for him to head to the bench and for Marcus Smart to become the Celtics' starting shooting guard.  Though I still feel that way, I think fans are starting to spiral out of control.

Marcus Smart Or Jaylen Brown?

Just 1 hour to vote..#Celtics #CUsRise

— Ev Singleton (@EvGuyBoston) December 4, 2018

Let's be honest with ourselves.. Sure, Smart is playing better than Brown this year.  That is fair to say.  He's earned that starting spot. For now...

In reality, Jaylen Brown is still the better NBA player, filled with much more potential to become great.  So, if you are saying Marcus Smart should be the solidified starter for the Celtics moving forward, you aren't thinking about the future.

It is all well and good right now with Smart in the starting five, and I do believe Jaylen should sit his ass on the bench when he gets back, but I don't think that is a long term fix.  Most are saying sitting Jaylen Brown is the best move because he is sucking. But I am saying sit Jaylen so it lights a fire under him, so he can internalize the demotion and work his way back into a starting role and perform way better than he has.

This is a tough situation, because you could kill Brown's confidence by sitting him.  On the other hand, you could also kill Smart's confidence by taking him out while he's playing so well.  Brad Stevens has to weigh his options...

The Celtics are better right now with Smart in there, but is that costing the team anything in the future? That is the big question.

Like I mentioned, I think Brown deserves a bench spot at this point. However, I can also admit that the best team for the Celtics involves Jaylen playing in the starting lineup - but with the given that he is performing well.  This team's shot at a title depends on that.

Again, if this team is to become the behemoth it is supposed to become, Marcus Smart will not be playing over Jaylen Brown.

Starting Smart is move is best for now, but what we really need is Jaylen Brown turning his season around and continuing to improve like he did last season.