Jaylen Brown’s Celtics story may have ended before anyone in Boston wanted it to, but the franchise doesn’t appear ready to let that erase what he meant to the team. In a recent interview with Avery Hill of the Boston Globe, Brad Stevens made that plain enough: Brown’s number is expected to belong in the rafters someday.
“I get a lot of emails and a lot of people that ask about wanting to be a GM,” Stevens said. “I’m like, ‘I wish you would’ve been around last summer when we basically had to trade Jrue Holiday.’ ...
Or we go through this long, arduous process and ultimately decide to trade Jaylen, whose numbers will likely go up in the rafters in Boston. Not fun.”
That’s the kind of line that says plenty. Brown may not have been the favorite Celtic for every fan, and his exit will sting no matter how anyone frames it. But the impact he left behind is hard to argue with, and the case for his place among the franchise’s greats is already built.
He’s not Bill Russell, Larry Bird, John Havlicek, Bob Cousy or even Paul Pierce. Still, Brown has done enough in Boston to stand in that next tier of Celtics history. In the regular season, he ranks 15th in games played with 674, seventh in steals with 684, 10th in points with 13,474, tied for eighth in triple-doubles with six, eighth in points per game at 20, and third in three-pointers made with 1,284.
The résumé goes beyond the numbers, too. Brown is a five-time All-Star, a two-time All-NBA selection, a one-time Eastern Conference Finals MVP and a one-time NBA Finals MVP. He also finished sixth in MVP voting last season.
Boston doesn’t win the 2024 title without him. Jayson Tatum may have had a stronger case for Finals MVP, but the Celtics needed both stars to get there. And if the Celtics had held onto their lead over the Golden State Warriors in the 2022 NBA Finals and finished that job, Brown likely would have added another Finals MVP to the shelf.
His value wasn’t limited to what he did on the floor, either. Brown’s charitable work through foundations and programs has left its mark on Boston and the surrounding community, strengthening the legacy he built over 10 seasons with the franchise.
However it ended, the ending doesn’t wipe out the run. Brown gave the Celtics too much for that. When the time comes, Boston should honor it the right way: with No. 7 in the rafters.
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For Celtics fans hoping there is more behind the buzz, the reality is less dramatic for now. There are no confirmed reports suggesting Boston is pursuing Lillard, and no indication Portland is looking to move him either. Lillard remains under contract with the Trail Blazers, complete with a player option and a no-trade clause, which makes any serious speculation about a Celtics fit a lot more complicated than a trending search result would suggest. [Read more 🡒]
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What makes the warning sting is the fit argument around it. The forecast suggests Georges game could mesh with Bostons preference for three-point shooting and a slower pace, but the projection still leaves plenty of unease about whether the Celtics would actually gain enough on the margin to avoid a step backward. It is the kind of early-season-of-the-future alarm bell that does not settle much, but it does make the long view around Boston a little harder to ignore. [Read more 🡒]
Jayson Tatum Just Gave Celtics Fans An Awkward New Talking Point
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One of those appearances came during his international fan camp run, including a stop in China, where a video made the rounds showing Tatum missing several free throws before finally knocking one down. It was the sort of harmless offseason moment that can take on a life of its own when a star is under the microscope, especially with Boston entering camp with new pieces, a new look, and plenty of curiosity about how the next version of this team will come together. [Read more 🡒]