JAYLEN BROWN

The Celtics guard doesn’t put in four-a-day workouts just to win championships.

- EBENEZER SAMUEL

JAYLEN BROWN TAKES tw dribbles to the left, sizes up an oncoming defender (who's extra-equipped with two foam arm pads to be more of a shot-blocking threat), then fires up a floater for a swish. It's September, just a few weeks before the start of the season, and Brown is here on the Boston Celtics' practice court putting in serious work.

That work goes beyond basketball drills, which are just the start of a vicious training sequence that includes four modalities. Brown spends a half-hour battling these defenders while launching more floaters, runners, and jump shots.

By the end, he has his hands on his hips and is breathing hard. And that's precisely when he jogs into the Celtics weight room, strips off his shirt, and dons a pair of gloves. "The work starts when you get tired," Brown says with the slightest of grins. "What someone can do under pressure is what you can tell about 'em."