Jaylen Brown’s Comments On Celtics Tenure Will Turn Heads

When Jayson Tatum ruptured his Achilles in Game 4 of the Boston Celtics’ Eastern Conference semifinals series against the New York Knicks, Jaylen Brown immediately became the C’s most important player. In a lot of ways, though, he already was the team’s most important player before Tatum’s injury.

While Tatum is the more well-rounded player, Brown has quietly sat back and assumed the 1B role to Tatum’s 1A. While rumors about his and Tatum’s fit alongside each other persisted, he put his head down and continued to turn himself into a superstar.

The end result saw Brown help the Celtics win the 2024 NBA Finals, earning Finals MVP along the way. While things didn’t go as expected for Boston this past season, Brown’s legacy with the team is already set in stone.

Despite that, Brown’s tenure with the Celtics hasn’t always been rosy. He’s frequently had to make room for his teammates and accept roles he didn’t agree with. And yet, it all led to a title, so Brown was more than happy to endure the bumps in the road in order to get to the top of the mountain.

“It’s been a long journey here in Boston,” Brown said, per Noa Dalzell of CelticsBlog. “I’ve had to deal with a lot. I feel like I haven’t been able to be myself in certain capacities — because of the politics, and because maybe people feel uncomfortable with who I am.”

“I disagree with a lot of things. I’ve had to change roles, styles. I’ve had to do things that other players of my talent just haven’t had to do, and I’ve been okay with them, because I’ve always been a team guy. I feel like sometimes that gets taken for granted.”

“I’m extremely grateful that we won a championship. I’m extremely grateful that we’ve been able to have success, and that’s what it’s about. It’s not all about you, it’s not all about me, you know what I mean? I want the next generation to know that as well — it’s okay to play your role on the team. It’s okay to do whatever, but don’t let that define you.”

With Tatum expected to miss the 2025-26 campaign now, Brown is set to be the team’s true leader next season, meaning he will take on yet another new role in his 10th year in the league. How he performs in this role will likely determine how well the Celtics fare in Tatum’s absence.