BOSTON — As Jaylen Brown put it, he experienced plenty of heartbreak through the opening seasons of his career. The Celtics etched multiple deep playoff runs, but that also meant shortcomings on the bright stage where criticism comes easy.
So, after the Celtics got back to the mountaintop of the league, Brown made sure everyone knew he was having a great summer. He took to social media to showcase the high after winning a title. Or he was at high-profile events like the ESPYs where he didn’t need to really say he’s thriving. And amid the extracurriculars, he also worked on his craft despite the busy schedule.
“As a leader, trying to bring that out of everybody, and just make sure all the pieces of the ship are just moving smoothly,” Brown said. “For me, personally, I worked on everything. I know I say this every year, but this is the best that I’ve ever felt and the hardest that I’ve ever worked. In the midst of traveling, I’ve been able to balance that with really getting after it.”
Brown is coming off his latest career-best season even if the counting stats didn’t pop off the page. But his efforts were rewarded in the postseason, when he earned both East Finals and NBA Finals MVP. His two-way play all season was also lauded as he committed himself to both ends of the court.
While Brown made headlines this summer after he was snubbed by USA Basketball for the Olympics, he didn’t go into specifics Tuesday at Celtics Media Day. He’s “extremely motivated for obvious reasons,” adding that’s all in the past now.
Brown enters his ninth season in the NBA as the longest-tenured Celtic on the roster. He sacrificed plenty last season for the betterment of the team, which was rewarded at the end in the form of the playoff awards. As Brown and Jayson Tatum enter the prime of their careers, they should have the loaded Celtics back in title contention.
For now, the Celtics open training camp Wednesday with a busy preseason slate coming up. They fly to Abu Dhabi for a pair of exhibition games next week against the Nuggets. Before then, the first bits of the team will come together as the Celtics return virtually the same roster as last season. So the C’s get to run it back for a real chance at back-to-back titles.
“It’s kind of weird actually having some stability,” Brown said. “Because over the last couple of years, we have had coaches change, coaches leave in the middle of the season, trades, players in and out. But nobody mentions that when you when you lose. So it’s good to hear it as an excuse now when you win that we have some stability. But it definitely feels a little bit different.”
