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Jaylen Brown says fans should have patience with new-look Celtics
"I believe in this group, I believe that we have the potential, but it takes a little bit of time."
Jaylen Brown and the Celtics turned things around Monday night, beating the New Orleans Pelicans 122-90 for their first win of the season.
This offseason was full of uncertainty over what the Celtics were going to look like. Jayson Tatum went down with a ruptured Achilles in last year’s playoffs, and his return is still up in the air. Boston also shipped off multiple key pieces from its 2024 championship winning team.
While a 1-3 start isn’t what fans were hoping for, Brown is asking for patience from them while the new-look Celtics figure things out.
“It’s going to take some time,” Brown told reporters following Monday’s victory. “We lost four All-Stars from last season between Al [Horford], Jrue [Holiday], Kristaps [Porzingis], and JT being out. And Luke [Kornet’s] an All-Star to me.”
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Monday’s starting lineup featured Brown and Derrick White as the only two consistent starters from last season, but the Celtics were able to get valuable minutes from multiple newcomers.
Anfernee Simons, who the Celtics got in return for Holiday, looked like the scorer fans expected, scoring 25 points off the bench, including 11 in the fourth quarter.
Along with Simons, Josh Minott, acquired from the Timberwolves, got his first start as a Celtic, and was able to put up 15 points and provide the play of the game in the second quarter.
The Celtics are still trying to find ideal lineups with their new players. They have started the last three games with a different five, which Brown can see the positive and negative side of.
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“I will always say flexibility is good,” he continued. “But also trying to find an identify and find a rhythm and a comfort level is something that we’re looking to build.”
With this shifting of lineups, Brown knows how important him being on the floor will be in trying to get this group to gel together.
After tweaking his hamstring in preseason, he’s yet to be 100 percent this year. However, even in limited fashion he was going to stay out there until the first win came.
“I had to get on the floor,” Brown said. “We got to find a way to get a win. So, I was going to play until we figured that part out.”
Both Brown and Celtics fans will wait and see how this group bonds over the course of the season, as well as whether this win can be the spark for them to get going.
“I believe in this group, I believe that we have the potential, but it takes a little bit of time,” Brown concluded the interview with. “I’m looking forward to growing with this group, growing as myself, and also being a leader.”
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