Celtics star delivers blunt message to challengers amid quest to repeat

 

Jaylen Brown has been very busy this offseason despite an Olympic snub with Team USA. Coming off a historic NBA championship with the Celtics, the small forward has already been hard at work training for next year, including showcasing some of his underwater workouts. He’s also been active off the court, launching an Oakland XChange initiative. Brown spoke with Monte Poole from NBC Sports Bay Area on Dubs Talk: A Golden State Warriors Podcast this week about that program but also spoke about his mindset as Boston’s title defense is set to begin next month.

 

“Last year is over, to be honest,” Brown told NBC Sports Bay Area. “We celebrated, we had a good time, it’s been an awesome summer – I’ve been having a great summer, by the way – but it’s over with, and now it’s back to work.”

 

The Celtics are currently favored to repeat as NBA champions after bringing back 13 roster players from the title team. That continuity has put pressure on other Eastern Conference contenders to step up their talent acquisition as evidenced by big moves made by the 76ers and Knicks this year. Brown welcomes those new challenges as the Celtics attempt to be the first team to repeat since the Warriors in 2018.

 

“Now we’ve got the target on our back,” Brown said. “Everybody’s trying to come after us, and I’m like, ‘Come on.’ So, it’s back to work and I’m looking forward to next season.”

 

Brown also may have some extra motivation for next season against some player rivals after being passed over for a spot on Team USA this summer despite earning MVP honors for the East Finals and NBA Finals. In the same interview with Poole, Jason Kidd also reflected on his high praise of Brown during the NBA Finals, an opinion that raised lots of eyebrows from a nationally perspective.

 

“He was playing the best, I think, at the time. Some took it as I was trying to start something, but he had just won the Eastern Conference MVP and then he actually ended up winning the MVP in the Finals,” Kidd said. “I don’t know if I was wrong. But as we know, media can sometimes take it as I was trying to start something between Jayson and Jaylen. But it wasn’t that. I was just making the comment that Jaylen was playing at a high level, (Jrue) Holiday agreed. It wasn’t that I was starting anything.

 

“But Jaylen was. Jaylen was playing his best basketball at the right time and I made that comment,” he continued. “Some took it as I was trying to start something. But I wasn’t.”

 

Brown and the Celtics will kick off their title defense during training camp in the last week of September.

 

 

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