The difference is from going from not scouted to scouted. Now teams are going to try and force him to take jumpers, and he has to learn to adjust, and how to learn how to get to the paint again. There is not regression. It is a matter of growth.
That's a big reason WHY he did the right thing. As you mentioned, jumper was off, not getting the whistles, Clips were making it hard - just wasn't his night. Rather than force a 6 for 22 type of game, he let the guys who were making shots keep shooting. The guy has been playing a ton of minutes and taking a beating every night recently, which he can't do for 46 more games. What if you were Brandon last night? You know you have to play again tomorrow night, and you STILL have Kobe & Lebron this week!!
Actually from what I saw last night, I was wondering if the right thing would have been for him to take the night off.
