Today’s sports world is a world of analytics. Every team focuses heavily on statistics and player dimensions to estimate how good (or bad) an athlete might be. There are plenty of factors that go into such analysis, but height and wingspan are two of the most important.
How tall is Jaylen Brown? His real height is 6’6 (198 cm) and a whopping 7’0 (213 cm) in wingspan.
Here, I will take a closed look at Jaylen Brown’s physical attributes and explain how they help him succeed at the highest level. That insight will show what it takes for athletes to thrive in the NBA, and reveal how important physical traits are in that process.
Middling Height
To understand Brown, you first need to understand the way he plays. As with many great athletes in the modern NBA, he’s not locked into one position. He’s most comfortable as a shooting guard, but he also freely moves to the forward position as well.
That versatility is allowed by the fact that he’s able to leverage his height and strength in ways most players can’t. Brown stands a strong 6’6, which makes him tall for a shooting guard but right below average for a small forward. However, he’s also 220 pounds and extremely fast.
That combination, mixed with his height, gives him a lot of natural athleticism on all sides of the court. He’s a good defender because he can get up and stand in a player’s way, but he’s a powerful shooter who’s not afraid to crash hard at the rim.
Backing that up is Brown’s 40-inch vertical. Being 6’6 is not terribly tall for the NBA, but the extra weight and amazing jumping ability allow him to get up at opportunities or contest shots that other players would simply let go by.
Plenty of Reach
There’s no doubt that Brown is one of the most talented players in the NBA. He’s quick, has a great eye for the court, and can score with the best of them. A lot of that comes from his relentless work ethic and tough demeanor, but his arms play an important part too.
Brown has a whopping 7’0 reach, which measures six inches longer than his height. That’s not just a large discrepancy between height and wingspan, it’s one of the biggest in the league.
Generally, long arms are an advantage in the NBA. They give players more room to work with when dribbling, allow them to do more moves in the air when finishing a layup, and also provide them with various ways to steal, deflect, and contest shots.
Point and shooting guards tend to have arms that are a few inches longer than their body. The fact that Brown’s arms are six inches gives him an incredibly large advantage on both sides of the ball. He can get up over smaller opponents, and match up against larger ones.
Wingspan is often overlooked because it’s not as easy to see on the stat sheet. Brown is a perfect example of someone who gets a lot out of his reach, and it directly backs up his versatility by enabling him to match up all over the court.
Final Words
Height and wingspan are not everything in the NBA, but they certainly help. While it’s easy to see everyone as tall or big, players like Jaylen Brown show how much a few extra inches or pounds matter. Arm-to-body ratio matters quite a bit.
That’s not the only reason for his success, but it’s hard to have one without the other. He’s one of the most explosive players on the floor, and will only improve with time. Being able to dunk, rebound, and reach around other players is a big part of that.
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