Getty Jaylen Brown entering his shooting motion for the Boston Celtics
Improvement has been the buzzword for Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum over the last 18 months, with the future of the Boston Celtics franchise firmly placed upon their shoulders.
“When you are the guys, every night is a greater burden with greater responsibility,” Brad Stevens explained in a recent exclusive with Michael Holley. We’ve heard both Tatum and Brown speak of their need to continue developing on numerous occasions these past 18 months, but after head coach, Ime Udoka called Jaylen Brown’s inconsistent mentality “mind-boggling” the sixth-year wing has become one of Boston’s most consistent scorers.
“I can do a lot of things better, try to find ways to get guys going, talking to Jayson trying to find ways to get him going. Just making our teammates better; I think that’s part of being a leader and things like that. I still have a lot of growth to do, that I’m actively working on, but that’s my challenge,” Brown explained when discussing his development following the Celtics victory over the Orlando Magic.
Brown’s Comments Come After Marcus Smart Sounded Off
Ball movement has been a featured topic in the Celtics world this week after Marcus Smart sounded off on Tatum and Brown for their lack of playmaking down the stretch.
“Every team knows we are trying to go to Jayson and Jaylen, and every team is programmed and studied to stop Jayson and Jaylen. I think everybody’s scouting report is to make those guys try to pass the ball. They don’t want to pass the ball and that’s something that they’re going to learn,” Smart said after the Celtics collapse against the Chicago Bulls.
With both Udoka and Smart calling Brown out in recent days, the Georgia native has responded by continuing to dominate offensively and is currently averaging 26.9 points per game, along with 2.6 assists.
Brown, who has never been a primary playmaker, tallied three assists against the Magic and led the team in points and field-goal attempts.
Jaylen Brown was on a mission last night in Orlando. 28 points on 10-17 shooting to go with 5 boards and 3 assists ☘️
Full highlights ▶️ t.co/o2bihACV9B
Brown Brushes off Controversy
During the Celtics game against the Magic, news broke of a player-only meeting the Celtics were rumored to have held prior to the game.
“We definitely spend a lot of time with each other, which makes it good to be able to talk to somebody, but also there’s lots of ups and downs you go through as a family and things like that. I think we have healthy conversations moving forwards, and the energy is just focused on winning,” Brown said when discussing the player’s meeting that took place before the Magic game.
Boston’s core rotations have all been together since entering the NBA, with the Celtics roster primarily comprised of home-grown draft talent. For many of Boston’s players, Udoka is only the second NBA coach they’ve played under, and as such, there have been some teething issues. Yet Al Horford believes that in spite of their poor start to the season, the Celtics have all the necessary ingredients to embark on a successful season.
“I tell the guys to make sure we make the most out of the opportunity. I’m very grateful to be here, playing with the Celtics, and it doesn’t matter what’s happened in the past, we have an opportunity now, this season, and we have all the pieces that we need to be successful. I just tell them to take advantage of this,” Horford detailed, as he spoke on the team’s struggles and the locker room camaraderie.
The Celtics now have another minefield to navigate, as on the second night of a back-to-back they take on the Miami Heat who currently sit second in both offensive and defensive rating per NBA Stats.
“We didn’t start the season the way we would like to, but we have an urgency to try and get back to where we want to be at,” Brown said, as he answered questions on if the Celtics resolve will be tested on South Beach on Thursday, November 4th.
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Celtics Star Admits Need for Growth, Leadership: ‘That’s My Challenge’