‘Athletes are greater than line-items or stats on a sheet’
Boston Celtics
“Taking it someday at a time, clearly,” Brown mentioned. “Issues occur on this league. It is a enterprise.”
The commerce that despatched Jaylen Brown to Philadelphia was sure to return up throughout his first media day as a 76er.
Brown mentioned he’s nonetheless going by way of phases as he acclimates to his new staff. He had beforehand mentioned that he felt disrespected by the way in which the Celtics dealt with the method.
He was initially shocked when he heard the information in regards to the commerce, and he mentioned Monday that he isn’t fairly positive to count on when Philadelphia travels to Boston for a preseason sport on Oct. 10.
“Taking it someday at a time, clearly,” Brown mentioned. “Issues occur on this league. It’s a enterprise. They’ve received analytics and whatnot that they go by. However, what I feel I worth about this sport is the human connection.”
“To have the ability to convey individuals collectively, uplift your neighborhood, and encourage individuals. What I’ll at all times preach is that athletes are extra than simply line-items or stats on a sheet. I feel our sport and the way we measure stuff in that approach is being decided in that method. So, I preach the human connection.”
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla opened his press convention at Celtics media day with an announcement about how a lot Brown meant to the franchise throughout his ten years in Boston.
“Simply paying respects to Jaylen and what he’s achieved for this group and the neighborhood over the previous ten years,” Mazzulla mentioned. “Clearly what he’s been in a position to accomplish has been nice and it’s not a one-time factor to the place you let go of that. There’s clearly a short-term perspective and a long-term perspective about what he did throughout his time right here each on and off the ground.”
“That shouldn’t be forgotten,” Mazzulla mentioned. “On the similar time, it’s the primary day of our 2026-27 season and shifting our focus in direction of these gamers and that staff.”
Jayson Tatum was requested whether or not he had wished his run with Brown to proceed.
“It’s robust, clearly,” Tatum mentioned. “The enterprise of the NBA at all times comes and performs an element in some unspecified time in the future. I’ve seen it by way of my virtually ten years of being on this league. For me, it’s simply moreso being grateful for what we achieved and what he means to the town and this group.”
The questions on who’s the alpha seem to have adopted Brown from Boston to Philadelphia.
For a very long time, Brown was requested about whether or not it was him or Tatum. On Monday, he was requested a basic query about who Philadelphia’s alpha is.
Philadelphia now has the NBA’s all-time main scorer in LeBron James, a former league MVP in Joel Embiid, a former Finals MVP in Brown, and a pair of budding again courtroom stars in Tyrese Maxey and V.J. Edgecombe.
So, who’s the alpha amongst that group?
“Subsequent query,” Brown mentioned.
Tatum was requested an identical query about whether or not or not he feels just like the Celtics are his staff now that Brown is gone. He laughed earlier than he answered.
“It’s not as easy a factor as if that is my staff,” Tatum mentioned. “I don’t know if that’s the reply you have been in search of, however like I mentioned earlier I perceive the roles that all of us play on this staff. Everyone’s function is completely different. That’s what makes up a staff, all of us don’t have the identical function, all of us convey one thing completely different every day to make the group higher.”
“So, it’s not simply saying it’s my staff. I’ve received 14 different teammates that I’m going to lean on and all of us want one another to lean on and get higher each single day.”
The start of a brand new season is right here, and the Celtics are tasked with determining what sort of staff they’ll be.
“I don’t know that it’s essentially the phrase ‘with out Jaylen,’” Mazzulla mentioned when requested how the staff will look completely different with out Brown. “Yearly you’re getting new gamers, outdated gamers coming again who develop their video games and look otherwise.”
“It’s not as a lot as what it appears to be like like with out one individual or the opposite as it’s – what’s our roster, how can we benefit from the strengths and expertise that we’ve got, how can we benefit from the offseason of labor that the blokes have put in to turn out to be higher gamers and switch that into an offensive and defensive philosophy.”
“I don’t know if I’ve that reply on Day 1. I feel your staff naturally grows and also you’re at all times studying about your staff. I feel that’s the purpose of coaching camp.”
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