Jaylen Brown didn’t mince words when asked about his All-NBA snub
It’s safe to say Jaylen Brown feels strongly about where he stands after not being voted to any of the three All-NBA teams for the 2023-2024 NBA season.
Many were surprised on Wednesday night when the All-NBA voting was revealed, and Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown was left off of the three All-NBA teams. Brown, who was second-team All-NBA last year, was the top vote-getter to not be included.
Known as a player who can use real or perceived slights as motivation, there were those looking to see how Brown would ‘respond’ in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals – his first game since the All-NBA teams were announced. He certainly rose to the occasion, tying his previous career playoff-high with 40 points in the Celtics’ 126-110 win.
But was it the All-NBA snub providing extra motivation for the performance?
“Nah, I wouldn’t say that,” Brown said after the game when asked.
The logical follow-up was then asked – what would he say about the snub?
“We’re two games from the Finals. Honestly, I don’t got the time to give a f–k.”
While that was Brown’s initial answer, he did open up a bit more later on in the press conference when asked his overall reaction to being left off the All-NBA teams.
“I mean, I watch guys get praised and anointed, who I feel like are half as talented as me on either side of the ball. But at this point in my life, I just embrace it,” he shared. “It comes with being who I am and what I stand for, and I ain’t really changing it. So I just come out and I’m grateful to step out on the floor each and every night and put my best foot forward. I get better every single year, and whether people appreciate it or not, it is what it is.”
For a team that has been criticized in the past for caring more about individual awards rather than team achievements – championships – Brown’s comments should get some significant attention. With the team on the precipice of its second NBA Finals trip in three years, it doesn’t seem like the All-NBA voting will be a distraction – at least for Brown.
While Brown wouldn’t get too deep into whether or not being left off the All-NBA teams was a source of motivation for him, head coach Joe Mazzulla did discuss that a bit after Game 2.
“[Jaylen Brown] is just like, one of my favorite people. How’s he handling that? I think he cares about it in a way that motivates him, and I think he doesn’t really care about it at all because he understands that winning is the most important thing,” Mazzulla said. “He has unreal confidence, but he’s also not afraid to work on the things that he knows he has to get better at…He has a growth mindset. He just cares about the right stuff. I think stuff like that does motivate him, but I know he also really wants to win, wants to get better.”
“We all felt like internally that he should’ve made one of the All-NBA teams, so it was a shame to see that he didn’t,” forward Jayson Tatum added in his postgame press conference. Tatum was named First Team All-NBA for the third year in a row.
Brown and the Celtics return to action on Saturday, when the Eastern Conference Finals shifts to Indianapolis for Game 3. Coverage of that game can be heard on the BetMGM 98.5 The Sports Hub Celtics Radio Network, starting with pregame at 8:00 p.m. ET.
Keep scrolling for more on Jaylen Brown leading the Celtics to a Game 2 win…
Celtics take 2-0 lead over Pacers after Jaylen Brown masterclass
On Thursday night at the Garden the Boston Celtics hosted the Indiana Pacers looking to take a 2-0 series lead after a miraculous rabbit out of the hat win in game 1. The Celtics got late game heroics from Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday and Jayson Tatum to come back from the brink of defeat and steal one from Indiana. The questions heading into game 2 would mostly all be on how Indiana would react to letting one get away in game 1.
First Quarter:
Indiana would start off better in game 2 after going down 12-0 early in game 1 they scored the first basket of the night and looked steady early on. A small thing to look for tonight was could a slighted Jaylen Brown who was left off the All-NBA and All-NBA defensive teams be a little extra motivated to show he was deserving of those honors. I don’t think Jaylen needs any more motivation but any possible edge in the playoffs can’t hurt.
Boston would keep it’s same rotations from game 1 as Pritchard and Kornet were the first two players off the bench for the Celtics. Indiana would continue to hit their midrange jumpers early and build an 18-17 lead with 5:11 to go in the first.
Indiana would continue to play well but couldn’t separate themselves as Payton Pritchard would hit a 3 pointer to cut into the Pacers lead with 3:39 left in the first to make it a 23-20 game. The Pacers lights out shooting from midrange would continue as they were 9-14 from the field to start the game. Boston would struggle to hold onto the ball the final 3 minutes of the quarter but Indiana would struggle to capitalize only leading by two 27-25 at the end of the first quarter.
