Jaylen Brown and the Boston Celtics have found themselves dominating the headlines of sports pages over the last month, as both were linked with a blockbuster trade for Kevin Durant.
Of course, the rumors that Boston had offered Brown in a package to the Brooklyn Nets didn’t help the issue – but the reasoning at the time made sense – Brown was Boston’s best trade chip outside of Jayson Tatum if they wanted to bring Durant to the TD Garden.
Nevertheless, the trade never materialized, and Brown remains a Celtic, giving Boston a chance to continue its growth as one of the best young teams in the NBA. However, it’s fair to assume that there will be some residual damage to the relationship between Brown and Boston’s front office, however minimal.
When speaking with Bally Sports’ Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson on his Bovada segment at TJ Kidd’s Celebrity basketball game, former fan favorite Tacko Fall noted how Brown has been ‘very disrespected’ throughout the summer.
“Man, first of all, I think Jaylen (Brown) is very disrespected. He doesn’t get the praise he deserves sometimes, and he’s a great player, like Jaylen is nice. For him, he’s just got to keep doing what he’s doing, he’s very focused, he’s locked it, he knows what he wants to accomplish. The outside noise doesn’t really matter, it’s what the organization thinks of him, and I know the organization thinks highly of him, and I know he loves Boston, so it doesn’t really matter,” Fall told Robinson.
Fall participated in 26 games for the Celtics over his two seasons with the team, averaging 2.7 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 0.9 blocks per game while shooting 74.4% from two-point range.
Fall Signs With Xinjiang Flying Tigers
After three seasons in the NBA, Tacko Fall has decided to continue his basketball developing in the Chinese Basketball Association, signing a one-year deal with the Xinjiang Flying Tigers – per The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
Three-year NBA veteran Tacko Fall is signing a one-year deal in the Chinese Basketball Association with Xinjiang, per sources. The 7-foot-6 center played for Boston and Cleveland and now departs to play abroad.
There is no telling if this spells the end for Fall’s NBA career, or whether it could act as a springboard for a potential return to the league in the years to come. But, we can be certain that moving to the CBA will ensure Fall gets consistent playing time and a platform to show the world what he’s capable of on the court – something that wasn’t afforded to him during his time in the NBA.
Interestingly, the Celtics currently have Noah Vonleh on their training camp roster after he impressed with the Shanghai Sharks last season, which is further proof that there is always a road back to the league if you can improve and impress elsewhere.
MacMullen Believes Brown Will be Fine
Fall isn’t the first person to note how Brown has been disrespected by the Boston media and some of its fanbase, however, according to veteran reported Jackie MacMullen, the Georgia native is smart enough to take the rumors in his stride – especially as they can also be seen as complimentary.
“This bit about ‘Oh no, maybe we’ve upset Jaylen Brown’ – Stop it. Absolutely stop it! He’s an intelligent young man, who should feel complimented that so many people are interested in him. He also needs to understand that Jayson Tatum is the one and only untouchable. Jaylen Brown will be fine going forward if they never pull the trigger on this deal…In the perfect scenario, the Celtics extend Jaylen Brown for the max that they can extend him when the time comes, and they move forward with the nucleus they’ve built,” MacMullan said during her appearance on NBC Sports.
Brown was unquestionably Boston’s best player during their NBA Finals series against the Golden State Warriors, where he averaged 23.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game while shooting 34% from three and 43.1% from the field. As such, there is no wonder his name was linked as a potential trade target for Durant, but luckily, the Celtics can continue to build with Brown as part of their core, as the franchise looks to lift banner 18.
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Tacko Fall Sounds Off on Jaylen Brown: ‘Very Disrespected’