‘Jaylen’s their best player’: Mavericks coach Jason Kidd stirs the pot
"He did everything. That's what your best player does."
Perhaps it was a deliberate tactic. Perhaps it was an honest opinion. Perhaps it was somewhere in between.
Regardless, Mavericks coach Jason Kidd stirred the pot Saturday when he nonchalantly called Jaylen Brown the Celtics’ best player.
When asked what makes facing Brown a tough challenge, Kidd raised some eyebrows in the room with his response.
“Well, Jaylen’s their best player,” Kidd told reporters. “So, just looking at what he does defensively, he picked up Luka [Doncic] full-court, he got to the free-throw line. He did everything. That’s what your best player does.”
Kidd said Brown plays both sides at a high rate and has been doing so the whole playoffs. He noted that Brown earned Eastern Conference finals MVP honors and has picked up where he left off in the NBA Finals.
He said the Mavericks need to be more physical with Brown and keep him off of the free-throw line and out of the paint. Brown said he has “no reaction” to Kidd’s comments.
“I don’t have no reaction,” Brown told reporters. “It’s a team game. We’re trying to focus on that. Everybody has their own opinions.”
Brown finished Game 1 with 22 points on 7 of 12 shooting, along with 6 rebounds, 3 steals, three blocks, and 2 assists.
Jayson Tatum was 6 of 16 for 16 points, plus 11 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 block, and 6 turnovers.
Much has been made over the years, and recently as well, about Brown and Tatum’s ability to coexist. They’ve had tremendous success together, but haven’t been able to get over the hump and win a title.
While they’re inching closer and closer to that goal, and playing incredibly well in tandem, Kidd’s comments – perhaps by design – may add some fuel to the fire for Tatum heading into Game 2. Not that he needs any more.
“We understand that people will try to drive a wedge between us, and I guess that’s a smart thing to to do,” Tatum told reporters, “but people have been trying to do that for years … It’s not our first rodeo.”
Kidd did praise Tatum, noting he’s not one to give in defensively and is also a very tough cover on the other end.
“Jayson is one of the best offensive players in this league,” Kidd told reporters.
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