Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown fills numerous roles for his talented team. He's their rim destroyer, the longest-tenured Celtic, and a vocal leader who isn't afraid to speak his mind. However, what doesn't seem to be talked about enough is that Brown is the ultimate tone-setter for the C's.

While Boston's 2023-24 roster has plenty of stars, exemplified by the fact that every one of their starters received All-Star votes, no one helps the Celtics get off to hot starts more than Brown.

Jaylen Brown's 2023-24 season

This season, Brown is currently averaging 7.7 points per game in the first quarter, per StatMuse. That's tied for the seventh-highest mark in the NBA, but only Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo has been able to do it as efficiently.

Brown averages 9.6 minutes in the first quarter, while the top five in points per first quarter all average 9.7 minutes or more. Plus, the Georgia native is shooting an efficient 56.1% to start the game, which is a better percentage than every player in the top 10 besides Antetokounmpo (who primarily takes high-percentage shots around the rim) and Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant.

This isn't a new phenomenon for Brown either. You have to go all the way back to the 2019-2020 campaign to find a season when the Celtics guard wasn't top 15 in first-quarter points. And while these numbers are notable, they're even more impressive in practice.

For example, on Wednesday night, Brown scorched the Minnesota Timberwolves to start the highly-anticipated contest. He quickly scored 15 points while going 5-of-7 from the field to give Boston a 32-27 lead in the first quarter.

Of course, winning the first quarter doesn't win the game, but for the C's it sure does help. They boast the best first-quarter point margin in the league this season at +5.5, according to TeamRankings. No other team has a higher mark than +3.

Furthermore, in games when Boston outscores its opponent in the first, it's 21-6. At present, the Celtics are 29-8 overall, so establishing themselves early on has certainly added to the team's success.

Brown's all-around impact on Celtics

But it's more than just the numbers that make Brown an elite tone-setter. Boston isn't the fastest squad in the league, yet Brown loves to run and get out in transition. Early against Minnesota, he was moving quickly up the floor and even sped past Minnesota guard Kyle Anderson, who's a gifted defensive player.

The key to the 27-year-old's tone-setting is pace, and Brown isn't hiding it. Following a 114-97 win over the Orlando Magic in December, Brown discussed his commitment to speeding up the C's.

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ā€œI want to continue to push myself but also push my teammates,ā€ he said. ā€œI think a lot of times when we get in trouble is when we walk the ball up and play slow, which allows teams to load up. I like the version of us when we were getting up and down and making the right reads but we're playing with a little more pace.ā€

Brown finished with a team-high 31 points that game and helped the Celtics garner 23 points in transition, whereas the Magic only had 14. Although a faster pace can lead to more turnovers and other mistakes, speeding up a matchup can work wonders, especially against top-tier defenses like Minnesota and Orlando.

Pace or not, the Celtics don't rely on one set game plan to win, which is a big reason why they're in first place in the Eastern Conference. For instance, after Boston mounted a furious comeback to defeat the lowly Detroit PistonsĀ at the end of December, guard Derrick White highlighted the Celtics' flexibility.

ā€œJust finding ways to win, different ways to win each and every time against different opponents,ā€ he said. ā€œSo, thereā€™s no real one way to win games, and weā€™re just finding different ways to win.ā€

Even though Boston can adjust and readjust its approach to every game, one thing remains the same: it starts with Jaylen Brown. The Celtics will need another hot start from him too, as they're on the second leg of a back-to-back and are taking on the Milwaukee Bucks on the road.