All-Star wing Jaylen Brown took some subliminal shots at Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla after they blew a 3-1 series lead to the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the NBA playoffs.
Specifically, Brown said he wished the C’s “trusted the style of play” that propelled them to 56 wins in the regular season, while hinting that shorter rotations in the playoffs did not bode well for team chemistry. Brown also called the season “the favorite year” of his career, which some felt was an underhanded shot at Jayson Tatum, who missed the first 62 games of the regular season.
Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady believes that Brown is “frustrated” with the Celtics organization, citing his controversial comments on his Twitch stream.
“I think his frustration lies deeply in the organization that we don’t have the details to,” McGrady said on his “Cousins with Vince Carter & Tracy McGrady” podcast.
“… There’s just been a lot of stuff that I’ve been hearing, just going on with the Boston organization with JB.”
“I think his frustration lies deeply in the organization that we don’t have the details to… There’s just been a lot of stuff that I’ve been hearing, just going
He also weighed in on Jaylen Brown calling it out after the game.
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Jaylen Brown Wanted to Leave Celtics
The comments carry even more weight given the close relationship between T-Mac and Jaylen Brown. The Celtics star previously revealed that he wanted to seek a trade from the Celtics in 2019 before McGrady talked him out of it. On his appearance on McGrady’s podcast earlier this year, Brown shared the story of visiting McGrady in his house nearly seven years ago when he was frustrated with the Celtics.
“Right around that time after that season that we lost in a second round to the Bucks (2019),” Brown recalled. “I came right after that to Houston to get some work in. And I’m so grateful for that time and I’m I’m grateful to this day for you opening up your crib to me and just coming to be able to kick it with the fam and just ask questions and get some good advice about how I should look at the next couple years and how I should think about and where my mind should be at at the time.
“And you told me the potential that I have and what I needed to do if I needed to make it work and I followed those instructions to achieve and fast forward I became an NBA champion,” Brown added, thanking McGrady for his advice.
Should Celtics Trade Jaylen Brown?
Some insiders have suggested the idea of the C’s exploring a trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo this offseason, while parting ways with Brown.
Amid the chatter, insider Marc Stein reported this week that the Celtics are “a team to keep an eye on” concerning a potential trade for the Milwaukee Bucks superstar.
“There will inevitably be people who bring back the, ‘Do they break up Tatum and (Jaylen) Brown’ — like, that storyline will probably come back,” Stein said on Monday.
“There have been some rumblings at various points during the season that the Celtics could be a stealth Giannis team and a team that potentially interests Giannis. So let’s keep our eye on the Celtics. We know Brad Stevens is not afraid to make big moves and take big swings. So I think we have to be ready for just about anything with Boston.”
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Jaylen Brown ‘Frustrated’ With Celtics, Claims Mentor and Hall of Famer