[Forsberg] Does Jaylen Brown have a legitimate gripe with lack of foul calls?
November 30, 2025
[Forsberg] Does Jaylen Brown have a legitimate gripe with lack of foul calls?
17 comments
From Chris Forsberg:
The Celtics haven’t been a foul-generating team in recent seasons, in part due their 3-point loving ways. … But it does seem fair to wonder if Brown specifically is deserving of more whistles. While many NBA superstars get calls for the lightest graze on a drive to the basket, Brown is often left animated when he doesn’t get those calls despite drawing more obvious contact.
Brown ranks sixth in the NBA in drives per game (16.4) but gets fouled on just 9 percent of those treks. Among the 45 highest-volume-drive players in the league (10+ drives per game, 10+ games played), Brown ranks 22nd among that group in foul rate, per NBA tracking data.
On one hand, he’s one spot behind Detroit’s Cade Cunningham (who gets fouled on 9.4 percent of drives) and six spots behind the free-throw-line dwelling Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (10.4 percent). On the other hand, the league-leading Anthony Edwards gets fouled on a staggering 15.5 percent of his drives.
On Saturday night in Minnesota, Brown was credited with 21 drives leading to 10 shot attempts. He drew fouls on just 4.8 percent of those drives. By comparison, Edwards drove 15 times leading to eight shot attempts, but generated fouls on 26.7 percent of those treks.
Is there a direct correlation between stars sponsored by Nike vs not? And Brown in particular I’d imagine gets a worse whistle due to his conflict with Nike
Refs don’t rock 741’s
This is why they don’t blow the whistle
Yeah, there was some statistical analysis done in one of the NBA threads (I didn’t save it) that indicated Brown is the player with the least amount of fouls called when driving to the hoop.
If JB was Shai he would be putting up 45 a game
If I was JB, I wouldn’t be nearly as upset at the refs as I’d be at White and Pritchard for going 3 for 18 from behind the line. A consistent theme in losses this season.
I have always thought JB gets a bad whistle, but I really have no idea if that’s just my green googles deluding me. What I do think is strange is that people always talk about x player getting a better whistle than y but then the stats they use to back it up are like ft % and foul % on drives, which doesn’t actually signify a good whistle versus a bad…some players just draw more contact than others and some players draw more fouling contact than others.
There is an actual objective way to measure good whistle versus bad but that involves going through tape and scoring no calls/calls. Obviously that’s a lot of work but it is doable, and you’d think with the AI tracking software available it wouldn’t have to been done manually. Yet no one actually does it, they just continue to make claims without real evidence.
I mean when he drives it’s often a sloppy handle so refs probably think the defender hit the ball. Sadly brown hasn’t gotten better handles in his decade in the league.
We have two number ones in the Jays and not a single one of them gets the superstar calls. SGA would be nothing without his golden whistles
hed be having an insane scoring season if he got any consistent whistles
He’s been criticizing the refs for bad calls all year, he’s not going to get a favorable whistle. Everything he’s said about the refs I 100% agree with but that’s probably costing him.
JB gets a worse whistle than role players. These blind ass refs need flailing and flopping to recognize fouls
Maybe don’t dribble with your head down then?
The Jays have always gotten a terrible whistle compared to comparable or even less than players
If he was 30 pounds lighter he’d get way more foul calls
17 comments
From Chris Forsberg:
The Celtics haven’t been a foul-generating team in recent seasons, in part due their 3-point loving ways. … But it does seem fair to wonder if Brown specifically is deserving of more whistles. While many NBA superstars get calls for the lightest graze on a drive to the basket, Brown is often left animated when he doesn’t get those calls despite drawing more obvious contact.
Referees most certainly missed an important call when [Brown was tripped in a loss to the Jazz in October](https://www.nbcsportsboston.com/nba/boston-celtics/live-updates-jazz-highlights-analysis-jaylen-brown/744450/?cardId=1:49:744688), and the league didn’t fine Brown [for venting in the aftermath](https://www.nbcsportsboston.com/nba/boston-celtics/jaylen-brown-comments-officials-jazz/744731/). Brown has expressed frustration about inconsistent whistles on multiple other occasions, including after [Saturday’s loss in Minnesota](https://www.nbcsportsboston.com/nba/boston-celtics/live-updates-celtics-timberwolves-highlights-anthony-edwards/750231/).
The data seem to back up his frustration.
Brown ranks sixth in the NBA in drives per game (16.4) but gets fouled on just 9 percent of those treks. Among the 45 highest-volume-drive players in the league (10+ drives per game, 10+ games played), Brown ranks 22nd among that group in foul rate, per NBA tracking data.
On one hand, he’s one spot behind Detroit’s Cade Cunningham (who gets fouled on 9.4 percent of drives) and six spots behind the free-throw-line dwelling Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (10.4 percent). On the other hand, the league-leading Anthony Edwards gets fouled on a staggering 15.5 percent of his drives.
On Saturday night in Minnesota, Brown was credited with 21 drives leading to 10 shot attempts. He drew fouls on just 4.8 percent of those drives. By comparison, Edwards drove 15 times leading to eight shot attempts, but generated fouls on 26.7 percent of those treks.
[Read more here](https://www.nbcsportsboston.com/nba/boston-celtics/jaylen-brown-foul-calls-bad-whistle/750375/).
Is there a direct correlation between stars sponsored by Nike vs not? And Brown in particular I’d imagine gets a worse whistle due to his conflict with Nike
Refs don’t rock 741’s
This is why they don’t blow the whistle
Yeah, there was some statistical analysis done in one of the NBA threads (I didn’t save it) that indicated Brown is the player with the least amount of fouls called when driving to the hoop.
If JB was Shai he would be putting up 45 a game
If I was JB, I wouldn’t be nearly as upset at the refs as I’d be at White and Pritchard for going 3 for 18 from behind the line. A consistent theme in losses this season.
I have always thought JB gets a bad whistle, but I really have no idea if that’s just my green googles deluding me. What I do think is strange is that people always talk about x player getting a better whistle than y but then the stats they use to back it up are like ft % and foul % on drives, which doesn’t actually signify a good whistle versus a bad…some players just draw more contact than others and some players draw more fouling contact than others.
There is an actual objective way to measure good whistle versus bad but that involves going through tape and scoring no calls/calls. Obviously that’s a lot of work but it is doable, and you’d think with the AI tracking software available it wouldn’t have to been done manually. Yet no one actually does it, they just continue to make claims without real evidence.
I mean when he drives it’s often a sloppy handle so refs probably think the defender hit the ball. Sadly brown hasn’t gotten better handles in his decade in the league.
We have two number ones in the Jays and not a single one of them gets the superstar calls. SGA would be nothing without his golden whistles
hed be having an insane scoring season if he got any consistent whistles
He’s been criticizing the refs for bad calls all year, he’s not going to get a favorable whistle. Everything he’s said about the refs I 100% agree with but that’s probably costing him.
JB gets a worse whistle than role players. These blind ass refs need flailing and flopping to recognize fouls
Maybe don’t dribble with your head down then?
The Jays have always gotten a terrible whistle compared to comparable or even less than players
If he was 30 pounds lighter he’d get way more foul calls
Yes
He has his entire career. It’s bullshit