Paul Pierce keeps making case for Jaylen Brown’s MVP candidacy

with Jayson Tatum The Celtics are now back in the fold, and have all the makings of a legitimate title contender in a wide-open Eastern Conference once the postseason action ramps up.

However, the Celtics currently sit in second place in the Eastern Conference with a 47-23 record, largely due to the stellar performance of their fellow Boston star. Jaylen Brown.

Thrust into a featured role as Boston’s leading scorer and leader after Tatum injured his Achilles tendon last May and lost several key players over the offseason, Brown rose to the occasion.

Through 63 games so far this season, Brown is averaging 28.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game — all career highs for the 29-year-old wing — while also playing solid defense.

Celtics legend Paul Pierce confirmed on Sunday that Brown remains a deserving candidate for the league’s Most Valuable Player award this season.

“I think Brown is having an MVP season,” Pierce said after participating in the first-ever event at TD Garden. “I mean, not enough is said about how he holds down the fort almost the entire year. … To still be able to elevate your game in your 10th year is pretty amazing, because most of the time, guys are who they are by the time they’re in their fourth or fifth year.​

“But just to see his maturation process at this point. It’s unfortunate that he’s not in the MVP conversations like he should be.”

This isn’t the first time Pierce has attacked Brown’s status as an MVP candidate. In January, Pierce compared the Celtics star to Rodney Dangerfield regarding the lack of respect he receives from his peers.

“I’ve been saying this about Jaylen Brown for years,” Pierce said earlier this year during a recent appearance on “No Fouls Given.” “There’s no better two-way player — I’ve been saying that for about three or four years — he’s the best two-way player in the NBA. Now he’s able to showcase his skills at a whole new level except for Jayson Tatum.”

While the Celtics are poised for a promising playoff run in the next few months, Pierce acknowledges that the team-level success Boston has had over the past two decades has not always led to individual recognition, even if it is warranted.

“I’m happy for them when they reach certain milestones,” Pierce said of Tatum and Brown on Sunday. “I always get them in the media. When I see things that don’t feel right, because I feel like Boston players don’t get what they deserve, most of the time.

“Obviously Brown didn’t get to the Olympics, Tatum didn’t get his minutes. I’m always rooting for them and advocating for them and fighting for them. So it is what it is, and I love to see these guys be successful.”

As far as why don’t Celtics players always get their due? Pierce attributed that to Boston’s continued success extending across the sports world since the calendar flipped into the new millennium.

“I mean I would be jealous if they had everything,” Pierce said. “We have it all. We’ve got the most championships. I mean, probably the best sports town in all of America. I mean, we are. When you look at it from baseball, football, basketball, hockey. There’s going to be some animosity there. Some resentment toward us.”

Connor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.