Boston Celtics youngster Jaylen Brown has noticeably struggled this season after breaking out last season. He has been in and out of the starting lineup. His jumper, especially the consistency from behind the arc, has been way off as he has taken a step back in his third NBA season.

Perhaps it's not all his fault. Brown told Jay King of The Athletic that he has had a lingering hand issue over the past month and a half:

A player's development can often stagnate if they have an injury that just won't go away. His hand bothering him would explain the dip in shooting percentages. Though he has been slumping, Brown also needs to improve his shot selection as well. He becomes frustrated at times and forces shots outside of the offensive scheme.

Hopefully, his hand is able to heal and he'll start progressing towards a better self.

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Brown spoke to Scott Souza earlier this month of GateHouse Media concerning his role in the rotation:

“I believe in my ability and the coaching staff believes in my ability. Coming off the bench makes sense, people make it a bigger deal than it really is. At end of the day, it's basketball. It's a mindset. It's a choice.”

This season, Jaylen Brown is playing 26.6 minutes per game under head coach Brad Stevens. He's averaging 11.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game while shooting only 41.6 percent from the field and 27.0 percent from deep. That's a drop of about eight percentage points from his career 3-point percentage and a four percentage point drop in his career field goal percentage.

The Celtics are 20-14 on the season and currently sit fifth in the NBA's Eastern Conference. They will face off next against the Memphis Grizzlies at the FedExForum this upcoming Saturday.