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It has been an offseason fueled by change for the Boston Celtics, but one of the franchise’s mainstays will enter the new season with a unique fervor that has developed over his years with the team.
With Jayson Tatum set to potentially miss the entirety of the upcoming campaign, fellow Celtics All-Star Jaylen Brown will attempt to lead a team that is in flux.
“I feel like I’m very talented,” Brown told Celtics Blog’s Noa Dalzell. “I’m one of the talented people in this league, on this planet, I feel like. I’m looking forward to showing the world more.”
Across 63 games last season, Brown averaged 22.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 4.5 assists while shooting roughly 46 percent from the field. The former NBA Finals MVP will be a vital part of Boston’s immediate playoff hopes.
The team traded Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis while also choosing to allow Luke Kornet and Al Horford to leave the organization. While these decisions were made with financial longevity in mind, they have placed the team in a transitional state while Tatum recovers.
Brown underwent knee surgery shortly after the Celtics fell to the New York Knicks in the second round of the NBA Playoffs, and spent more time in Boston this summer than he had originally anticipated. The turn of events helped him strengthen his already meaningful connection with Celtics fans.
“I appreciate them so much. They show up everywhere,” Brown said of the fans. “They love the fact that I do stuff outside of [basketball], and that’s what you’re supposed to be about. Some people hate that I do that stuff, which is weird to me, but that’s the reality of the world that we live in. People just wish I would just play basketball instead of trying to help people in my community. I would never understand those people. But the people that show up are the people that I appreciate. They get it.”
The 28-year-old will have to step up in a big way as the Celtics try to compete this season, and the fans would like nothing more than to see Brown lead an improbable postseason run.
