As the Boston Celtics look to hang their 18th championship banner this season as they compete in the NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks, a bevy of aspects need to succeed in order for that to happen. One part is on the success of Celtics star Jaylen Brown who has had a great postseason, but has been served a ton of negativity throughout his career.
But as many who have the same fate deal with it, he uses that outside noise for fuel and displays his talents on the court for anybody to bear witness. Brown would even say to Melissa Rohlin of Fox Sports that the hurdles he had to jump over “ended up being the biggest blessings.”
“All the things that I thought were setting me back or adversity ended up being the biggest blessings,” Brown said. “Getting moved to the bench, even trade talks, getting booed, whatever the fans were saying, overpaid, overrated. All of that stuff made me who I am today. It drove my work ethic. And it drove my demeanor.”
Brown talks about developing a thick skin to the outside noise
Even besides the hate he has received from the basketball world, it even started when Boston fans themselves were seen “putting their hands on their heads in disappointment” and even booed him at a season ticket holders watch party when he originally was drafted third overall in 2016. He has been developing the mindset and attitude where he can not let the noise impact him on the court which is something he even forgets “where it comes from.”
“I've been developing it for so long I completely forget where it comes from,” Brown said via FOX Sports. “But it comes from the outside world and me navigating it. I felt like I had to build it to protect myself. I've been in it for so long I can't even remember what it is not to be like this. It makes you a little robotic. But I needed to do that to survive.”
Brown talks about having a “chip on his shoulder” with the Celtics
There have been many criticisms towards Brown, right from when he was drafted to even when he received a close to $300 million contract extension. For the 27-year old, he has learned to “block out everything” and focus on bettering himself like he has been doing throughout his career.
“It just makes you zero in yourself,” Brown said to Rohlin. “You've kinda got to block out everything. It just teaches you in that moment, you can't get too high or too low. I learned that right away from that instance. And then going from there, I don't expect anything, any praise or whatever.”
“I always have a chip on my shoulder because I feel like how I think of myself, others don't think of me,” Brown continued. “It makes you want to go work and go out and prove everything.”
More outside noise for Brown currently, but in a different way
If anything, the doubters have been silent as the Celtics could be on the cusp of a championship where besides being awarded the Eastern Conference Finals MVP, he showed out in Game 1 of the NBA Finals scoring 22 points and being a pest on defense. However, that outside noise that was talked about earlier, it is still coming, but maybe in the complete opposite way.
Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd was asked during his media availability ahead of Game 2 of the NBA Finals about Brown and what makes him a threat. Kidd would come out and say that Brown is Boston's “best player” according to The Athletic which set social media ablaze since the conversation has been that Jayson Tatum is the more dynamic star.
“Well, Jaylen is their best player. Just looking at what he does defensively, he picked up Luka full court,” Kidd said. “He got to the free-throw line. He did everything, and that’s what your best player does. Just understanding he plays both sides, defense and offense, at a high rate. And he’s been doing that …”
How Brown has responded to Kidd's comments
There has been heavy speculation that Kidd said that to cause some turmoil on the team or cause some discomfort to the dynamic Boston duo of Tatum and Brown. When the California product was asked about Kidd's praise and possible tactic, he was stoic in his response.
“I don’t have no reaction,” Brown said. “I don’t know. It’s a team game. We’re trying to focus on that, and, you know, everybody has their own opinions.”
“I’m not sure. I’m not sure,” Brown continued about Kidd's comment. “But we’ve been just extremely focused on what our roles and our jobs are. We have all had to sacrifice. Jason (Kidd) has had to do that at the highest of levels, right, and I respect him and tip his cap for it. Right now, at this point, it’s whatever it takes to win and we can’t let any outside interpretations try to get in between us.”
Tension between Celtics' top players?
If there has been a player on the Celtics or even in the wide range of the league that has received an endless amount of criticism like Brown, it has been Tatum. When Kidd's comments were brought to him, he had around the same answer as his teammate where the 26-year old called basketball a “team sport.”
“No reaction,” Tatum said via The Athletic. “This is a team sport. We understand that, we wouldn’t be here if we didn’t have JB on our team, and we can say that for a lot of guys, right? We have all played a part in getting to where we’re at, and we understand that people try to drive a wedge between us. I guess it’s a smart thing to do or try to do. We’ve been in this position for many years, of guys trying to divide us and say that one of us should be traded or one is better than the other. So it’s not our first time at the rodeo.”
While to the media Brown's and Tatum's comments seem like they don't care about Kidd's claim, their performance Sunday night in Game 2 and the rest of the NBA Finals will be the ultimate display to see if it touched a nerve. At the end of the day, it is more outside noise for Boston to overcome as they look to win their first championship since 2008.
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