No single member of the Boston Celtics roster has had a more difficult summer than Jaylen Brown.
First, the Georgia native found his name endlessly floated in trade rumors revolving around Kevin Durant and then regarding his willingness to remain with the team beyond his current deal. Once all the noise surrounding Brown’s future eventually died down, the news regarding Ime Udoka’s suspension for breaching organizational policies broke shortly after.
Suddenly, a season that promised so much is already on the rocks. And, according to Jaylen Brown, he and the rest of his teammates are totally in the dark surrounding the nature of Udoka’s violations – something Brown wished was different.
“I wish we had more details. From what we know, it’s hard to make a decision whether it was consensual or not in the workplace, or whatever is going on, which we know has happened before in the workplace. But, I guess there’s more to it, that we don’t know. I don’t have all the details, they’re not being shared with me. It’s hard to comment on something that you’re not filled in on all the details,” Brown said when asked if he agreed with the severity of Udoka’s suspension.
Guard Jaylen Brown says the Celtics haven’t given players more details on Ime Udoka, who was suspended for a relationship with a staffer:
“I wish … we had more details. From what we know, it’s hard to make a decision based upon whether it’s consensual or not in the workplace.”
Regardless of whether the Celtics roster eventually learns the full details of Udoka’s violations, the team will need to adjust to their new head coach in Joe Mazzulla and get ready for a new season, as they look to avenge their game-six loss in the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors.
Jayson Tatum Learned of Udoka’s Suspension on Twitter
Sitting in front of reporters on September 26, Jayson Tatum dropped a surprise admission when asked about Udoka’s suspension – admitting that he had found out via Twitter, the same way as everybody else.
“I guess I feel like everybody else. It’s a lot to process. Unexpected…If you read the statement and watch the press conference, apparently there are a lot of things they can’t speak about. I think I’m in the same boat, as I don’t know. So, it’s hard to answer if things were handled in the right way, because I don’t know…S*** I found out on Twitter like everybody else,” Tatum said.
If Tatum, Boston’s star player, found out about the Celtics’ decision to suspend their head coach via social media, that should go a long way to proving how committed the front office is to keep the details of the situation in-house. As such, it’s highly unlikely anyone learns the full story in the near future, and that means the players too.
Joe Mazzulla Looking Forward
In his debut press conference as the Celtics’ latest head coach, Joe Mazzulla spoke of the need to begin rebuilding trust throughout the team and how his focus is on producing positive results on the basketball court – despite the fact the 34-year-old has been thrown into the hot seat at a moments notice.
“The message is, first, to give people space and time. Not just for the players but for everybody. It’s an unfortunate situation for everybody involved, so you have to give people the time and space to feel and the time and space to heal. And so, that’s key. You can’t rush anything,” Mazzula said, before continuing, “If I want the Celtics to be successful, if I want our players to be successful, I shouldn’t be focused on what I’m trying to do. It’s only my job to focus on the execution standpoint. How do we execute our togetherness, how do we maximize our roster.”
As a rookie head coach, there will undoubtedly be bumps in the opening few months of the season, as Mazzulla becomes accustomed to calling the shots, and getting the team to play out his vision on the basketball court. But, given the amount of turbulence this Celtics roster has endured throughout the summer, one would hope that some positive results can start to get the franchise moving back in a positive direction.
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Jaylen Brown Sounds off on Being Left in the Dark by Celtics