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After the Boston Celtics defeated the Washington Wizards on November 27, Marcus Smart singled out Jaylen Brown for how far he’s come as a player compared to when he first came to the NBA in 2016.
Smart first used an anecdote from Brown’s rookie year to illustrate where he was at the start of his career.
“A little story: When Jaylen first got here, he used to go one-on-five, one-on-four, just throw up some bullshit. We would look at him like, ‘Jaylen, what are you doing?’ And his excuse to us — or his reasoning was, ‘When everyone is telling me to slow down, the defense hears that, so I’m going to speed up.’ And we were like, ‘No, no, no, that doesn’t make any sense,’” Smart said.
Smart then detailed what Brown has changed in his game that’s helped him improve as a player.
“He’s using more of his grace now to where he’s understanding that sometimes, just being patient and let the game come to (him) instead of just trying to go get it” Smart said. I think that part of his game has grown exponentially for us. He’s patient with the ball, making his reads, taking his shots, when to pick his spots, when to go put his head down, and on the defensive end.”
The 2022-23 season marks the sixth year that Brown and Smart have played together as teammates.
Brown Responds to Smart’s Comments
During his postgame presser, Brown refuted Smart’s story about what went down his rookie year, as Smart alleged but later commented on how he’s gotten better since coming to the NBA through experience.
“Smart be making up stories in his own head. Don’t listen to Smart,” Brown said with a smile on his face. “I feel like I came into the league very talented, but I’ve gotten better as I’ve gotten older. I’ve been to the playoffs. Experience has been the best teacher. So I’ve improved and gotten better throughout this league, but I think I’ve always been talented. But like you said, as a 19-year-old, now I’m a 26-year-old. Yeah, of course, I’ve gotten better.”
Brown Calls Smart His Brother
During his postgame presser, Brown sounded off about his relationship with Smart and the impact he has on how Brown plays.
“Smart’s a guy (that) believes in me. He’s the one guy that is always letting me know, ‘You’re one of the better guys in this league too. Don’t let everybody forget that.’ So now I appreciate him for being a great teammate, being a great supporter,” Brown said.
Brown then added that he and Smart have gotten into it with each other on occasion, but he appreciates what Smart does for him.
“Me and Smart, we’ve had fights. We’ve had ups and downs, but at the end of the day, that’s my brother, and I appreciate him trying to make me be the best version of myself.”
Some of their fights have gained publicity, like when the two of them had to be separated in the locker room due to a heated argument after the Celtics lost Game 2 of the 2020 Eastern Conference Finals to the Miami Heat.
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