Jaylen Brown Preaches Patience Amid Celtics’ Slow Start
After getting off to their worst start in over a decade, the Boston Celtics finally earned their first win of the 2025-26 season on Monday, destroying the New Orleans Pelicans 122-90 to improve to 1-3.
It was an impressive all-around performance for the Celtics and easily their best game yet. Not only did they score their most points of the season and allow the fewest, but they also had six players score in double digits and ended the game on a 31-4 run.
For one night, at least, Boston looked like a championship-caliber team again, dominating on both ends of the floor.
While Celtics fans have been frustrated with the team’s slow start, Jaylen Brown emphasized the need for patience following Monday’s victory.
“It’s going to take some time. We lost four All-Stars from last season between Al, Jrue, Kristaps, and JT being out. And Luke’s an All-Star to me. Luke’s an All-Star in all of our hearts. We didn’t lose one guy, we lost five. To replace those guys, it doesn’t happen overnight,” Brown told CLNS reporter Noa Dalzell.
Brown’s right that there are going to be some growing pains for Boston this year as the team adjusts to life without Jayson Tatum, who rarely took a night off during his first eight seasons. The Celtics are still searching for their identity while he remains sidelined with an Achilles injury, especially on offense.
The team is also recovering from the offseason losses of Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford and Luke Kornet, which removed much of Boston’s size, rebounding, defense and veteran leadership.
The Celtics are younger, less experienced and less talented in their absence. They’re still learning how to play together and which lineups work the best, so they’re very much a work in progress.
That said, Monday’s game showcased this team’s potential and was a big step in the right direction.