Getty Images Raul Neto of the Wizards and Jaylen Brown of the Celtics go after a loose ball in the first half at Capital One Arena
Boston Celtics’ Jaylen Brown was so dissatisfied with his team’s play, following an embarrassing 104-91 loss against the Washington Wizards Sunday, that he’s running out of things to say and can’t explain why the Celtics are now a .500 (13-13) team in the East.
Brown, who finished with 25 points on 11-of-21 attempts and 7 rebounds, appeared distraught by it all. The Celtics were outplayed, out-hustled, and for the most part, left Jaylen speechless during media availability.
He was at a loss for words.
Jaylen Brown On Celtics Hitting Rock-Bottom: ‘It’s Up To The Mentality Of Everybody’
Have the Celtics hit rock bottom?
“It could be,” Brown replied. “It’s up to the mentality of everybody. How we come in every day, prepare to work. If you let it be a ‘rock bottom’ mentality then that’s what it’s going to be. You come to play, you need to show (up). Today, we weren’t very good.”
Pressed to pinpoint if Sunday’s disappointing loss in D.C. was due to fatigue or a team-chemistry issue, Brown chose not to elaborate.
“I don’t really have too much to say,” Brown replied. “Other than we just wasn’t very good today,” Brown said.
That certainly wasn’t the case for the Celtics against the Toronto Raptors Wednesday night at TD Garden. Boston’s scorching-hot offense was sizzling from behind the arc — where it connected on 20-of-39 shots.
The Celtics converted 39 field goals on 30 assists. Combining for 12-of-18 threes, Semi Ojeleye and Payton Pritchard made history.
But that wasn’t the same team that pulled up to the nation’s capital, Sunday, played an injury-riddled Wizards frontcourt and turned in a stinker. How can the same team from Wednesday display that kind of effort three days later, Jaylen was asked?
What is behind that?
“No comment,” Brown said after an awkwardly long pause.
Maybe this is what rock bottom looks like.
“No comment” and “I don’t really have too much to say on that” have turned into two of Jaylen’s go-to’s, of late. It’s almost as if Brown has the explanation already spelled out in his head but isn’t going to share the root of the Celtics’ issues with the public.
Jaylen Brown: ‘I Always Have Faith In This Organization’
Or better, yet, maybe Jaylen knows changes are coming soon and is choosing to put his trust in Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge to make a move that will improve his team. Rather than explain his team’s shortcomings and continuous struggle, Brown’s seemingly looking ahead to a potential brighter tomorrow.
Considering how much turnover Brown’s witnessed in Boston throughout his tenure — Isaiah Thomas, Al Horford, Kyrie Irving, and Gordon Hayward; to name a few — Jaylen knows anything is possible.
“I think we can, for sure, flip things around at any second,” Brown said. “I always have faith in this organization as a team and our coaching staff. We just sucked today and we haven’t played well over the last few stretch of games, for whatever reason. But, I believe we can turn it around at any moment.”
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