Brad Stevens downplayed rumors of a growing rift between Jaylen Brown and the Boston Celtics, revealing that the veteran star did not vent any frustration over his role in the organization during a recent conversation.
Stevens answered questions about Brown on Wednesday, four days after the Celtics’ season ended in stunning fashion with a first-round playoff loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.
Speculation over Brown’s Boston future swirled earlier Wednesday morning thanks to recent comments by basketball Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady, who said the five-time All-Star’s “frustration lies deeply within the [Celtics] organization.”
Stevens said he spoke with Brown on Monday and described the conversation as “nothing but positive.”
“He has not expressed those frustrations to me,” said Stevens, the Celtics’ president of basketball operations.
Brown made headlines earlier this week with his comments during an appearance on his Twitch stream, where he criticized officiating and called out Sixers star Joel Embiid for flopping throughout the seven-game series between Boston and Philadelphia.
The comments came one day after Brown and the Celtics lost Game 7 at home, becoming the 14th team in NBA history to squander a 3-1 postseason series lead. But Stevens voiced support for Brown on Wednesday, adding that he was open to ongoing conversations with the 2024 NBA Finals MVP.
“We’ve been here 10 years together, and I do think that — obviously I love JB,” Stevens said. “Everybody around here loves JB, and I think — just like any of our other guys, as we get to the end of the season — I’ll be here, and my door is always open.”
McGrady, a longtime mentor to Brown, speculated on his “Cousins” podcast that Brown has issues stemming from his standing in the organization, especially after his performance this season while co-star Jayson Tatum recovered from Achilles surgery.
“I think his frustration lies deeply within the organization and other things that we don’t really have the details to,” McGrady said on the podcast. “It’s just been a lot of stuff that I’ve been hearing just going on with the Boston organization with JB.
“I think part of him is like, ‘I showed you guys more of who I am as a basketball player. Not only just, you know, what I did on the basketball court, but the leadership that I displayed within this team, and you’ve seen that not having our best player in [Tatum].’ So, all that stuff, I think just came into play with him and his frustration.”
Brown, 29, took on an elevated role during Tatum’s absence and delivered the most productive season of his career, averaging 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists — all career highs — while leading the Celtics to a 56-26 record and the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.
But the Celtics’ season ended abruptly with Saturday’s 109-100 Game 7 loss to the rival Sixers. Philadelphia beat Boston in the playoffs for the first time since 1982, snapping a streak of six consecutive series losses. The Celtics had been 32-0 all-time when holding a 3-1 series lead.
“If anybody ever wants to come in and talk about it, and talk about their team, their place, whatever the case may be, I’m all ears,” Stevens said. “And that would be 1 through 16 [on the roster], not just Jaylen, not just Jayson, not just the guys that have been here.
“I think it’s really important to be available. So I certainly am, and none of that [frustration from Brown] has been expressed to me.”
