Dominique Wilkins offers high praise for Jaylen Brown originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown received high praise from a hometown hero ahead of Saturday's game in Atlanta.

Hawks great Dominique Wilkins joined Brian Scalabrine on Celtics Pregame Live and spoke on the growth he's seen from Brown since his days at Wheeler High School in Marietta, Georgia.

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"I watched him when he was a young man here in Atlanta," Wilkins told Scalabrine. "And to see his growth, what he has become -- he was like a man amongst boys back then because of his physicality and he was so much bigger and stronger than a lot of those guys.

"But his growth has developed over time each and every year because he wanted to be one of the best to play this game. And I've always been a fan of his, I always appreciated how hard he played, and he plays with no fear and he don't mind banging down there with some of those bigger guys.

Wilkins enjoys watching Brown impact the game in different ways. The 26-year-old's style of play gives him flashbacks of a certain someone.

"A lot of things that he's doing now, it reminds me of myself. Some of the things that I did as a young player," the Hall of Famer said. "And I've said many times to him how special he is as an NBA player and how he should continue to be respected, but just keep doing more of the same. You don't have to do anything any different.

"And the way he can put it on the floor, he can shoot the 3, he can get to the basket. Not a lot of guys in this league can do multiple things offensively. He's one of the few who does that."

Brown made his second NBA All-Star appearance last month. He's in the midst of a career season with personal bests in points per game (26.4), rebounds per game (7.0), and field goal percentage (48.5). An endorsement from Wilkins is just further proof that Brown is establishing himself as one of the game's premier players.

You can hear everything Wilkins had to say about Brown in the video above.