There's reason to believe Jaylen Brown is poised for a strong 2022-23 campaign. But Eddie House is taking things a few steps further.
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During an appearance Monday on NBC Sports Boston's Early Edition, the former Boston Celtics guard predicted that Brown will finish in the top five of the NBA MVP voting this season.
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That's quite the take considering Brown didn't even make the All-Star team in 2021-22. His teammate, Jayson Tatum, earned First-Team All-NBA honors and still finished sixth in the 2022 MVP voting.
So, what emboldened House to predict that Brown becomes one of the NBA's best players this season?
For starters, House noted that Brown was Boston's best offensive player in the NBA Finals, averaging a team-best 23.5 points over six games. House believes Brown can continue that scoring momentum into the 2022-23 season, especially given his penchant for hot starts.
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"Look at how fast he starts quarters," House said. "Jayson Tatum usually starts games slow and finishes. If (Brown) just starts the game with 12, 15, 16 points in the first quarter, think about all you have to do the rest of the game to get an easy 26, 27 points."
Most importantly, House believes Brown is entering this season with a "chip on his shoulder." The 25-year-old has been open about how the Celtics' Finals loss motivated him in workouts this summer, and after repeatedly being mentioned in trade rumors involving Kevin Durant, Brown will be out to prove the C's were right not to trade him.
A top-five MVP finish for Brown seems pretty unlikely given the NBA's current wealth of talent. But Brown averaged 23.6 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.5 assists last season, and if he can boost those assist numbers while cutting down on the turnovers and continuing to play elite defense, he absolutely should be in the All-NBA conversation, especially if the Celtics are one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference.
Check out the video player above for House's full take on Brown.