Paul Pierce didn’t hold back when he heard the latest take floating around about Jaylen Brown.
During a recent appearance on his “No Fouls Given” podcast, the Celtics legend blasted an anonymous analytics adviser’s claim that Brown was viewed by that organization as only a team’s “seventh-best player.” The remark reached the public through ESPN’s Bobby Marks, who discussed the trade chatter surrounding Brown on NBA Sirius XM Radio.
Pierce called the whole thing over the top.
"This is getting ridiculous," Pierce said. "It's gotten to the point where I'm no longer going to start watching any of these networks about sports.
Like seriously. Come on.
I just feel like it's clickbait. It doesn't make sense."
He also questioned why Marks would put that opinion out there in the first place.
"If an analytic dude said that and he told you, why would you make that public? Because it sounds silly," Pierce declared. "Jaylen Brown was an MVP candidate."
For Pierce, the issue goes beyond one stray quote. He pointed to Brown’s ability to tilt games even when the box score doesn’t scream superstar, and compared that kind of impact to players like Luka Doncic and Victor Wembanyama.
"Regardless of the stats, he influences," Pierce said. "And what are we here to play this game for? ... This guy has been on a winner from Day 1."
Pierce has long believed Brown gets shortchanged, and he said the 29-year-old should get more serious consideration for Defensive Player of the Year. He also revisited what he called Brown’s “absurd” snub from Team USA’s Olympic roster.
Still, Pierce thinks those setbacks may have only sharpened Brown’s edge.
"I'm glad these things happened to Jaylen Brown," Pierce said. "You know why?
Because he continues to prove people wrong. He continues to play with a chip on his shoulder.
He reminds me a lot of myself. Nothing has ever been given to him.
Everything that he does out there, he has to just snatch it. He takes it."
In Other News...
Celtics May Have Finally Solved The One Problem Fans Feared Most
Boston spent the offseason trying to answer the same question that hovered over the roster all year: who gives this group a real interior presence when the game turns physical? The front office took a direct swing at it, bringing in Mitchell Robinson to bolster the middle and adding Mike Conley on a veteran minimum deal to shore up the backcourt, giving the Celtics a different kind of balance than they had before.
Robinsons arrival gives Boston the look of a true rim protector and rebounder, the sort of center who can clean up possessions and make life easier on the perimeter defenders around him. Conley adds another experienced hand to the guard rotation, and together the moves suggest the Celtics are less interested in patchwork solutions and more focused on solving the matchup issue that had been easiest to target in recent seasons. [Read more 🡒]
Celtics Free Agency Short List Includes One Reunion Fans Wont See Coming
Boston still has work to do as free agency gets rolling, with no signings on the board yet and the mid-level and bi-annual exceptions still available to help round out the roster. Brad Stevens has already made the teams priorities clear: add size, and find another player who can bring perimeter speed to a rotation that could use both.
That puts a few names in the conversation, including Kevon Looney and Brandon Williams, as Boston looks for fit more than flash. Anfernee Simons is also part of the mix, which adds an interesting layer to the Celtics shopping list even before the bigger question of how aggressive they want to be with the resources still at their disposal. [Read more 🡒]
Mike Conley's Arrival Puts Boston's Guard Plans Under A Spotlight
Mike Conley Jr.s one-year veteran minimum deal gives Boston another seasoned guard to fold into a group that already has a lot of moving parts. Conley, who is entering his 20th NBA season, brings the kind of steady backcourt presence contenders usually value once the games get tighter and the rotations get shorter.
For the Celtics, though, the signing does more than add experience. It pushes the discussion back to how the guard minutes are going to be divided, especially with Payton Pritchards role still part of the equation and Anfernee Simons lingering as a possible fit for a team still sorting out its depth chart. Simons has already shown he can produce in Boston, but Conleys arrival makes the next roster choice feel a lot more telling than it did a day ago. [Read more 🡒]