Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla isn’t interested in reopening the book on Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. If anything, he wants the conversation to stay where it belongs: with the current Celtics and the player still in Boston.
Speaking to Jay King of The Athletic, Mazzulla made it clear he appreciates what Brown gave the franchise, but he’s done dwelling on the split.
“ Those two guys, they were together for (nine seasons), and they had great, great moments together,” Mazzulla said. “ And at the end of the day, nobody is perfect.
We all can be better. We all did great things.
We all did things that we want to be better at. So I think it’s more just focusing on the greatness that those two were able to achieve and the fact that they’re both great people.
“ They’re different in how they play the game. They’re different in how they handle things.
They’re just - they’re different. It doesn’t mean that it’s good or bad.
They’re just different. So you focus on the high character.
We’re focused on Jayson because he’s with us, he plays for us, he’s our guy. We’re grateful for what Jaylen did in the past, but our focus goes to Jayson, who he is as a player, who he is as a person, and then we just move on from there.”
When the questions kept coming, Mazzulla’s patience thinned a bit. He said he’d already addressed the subject and wanted the focus back on Boston’s present-day roster.
“ I’m trying to handle this as best I can,” Mazzulla said. “ I feel like I’ve answered it.
Like, he’s a former Celtic. He left the place in a better place.
We’re grateful. Every Celtic is welcome in this building.
It doesn’t matter who it is. It doesn’t matter.
We’re focused on the current Celtics. We’re focused on Jayson Tatum.
… We’re focused on this team. …
“ I’m not trying to be disrespectful. I feel like I’ve answered it as best as I could over the course of four months.
It’s just not about that anymore. At the same time, I understand in the media realm there’s always going to be side stories.
But that’s kind of as a team where we’re at.”
Elsewhere in the Atlantic roundup, Joel Embiid wanted in for Sunday’s matchup with Detroit, but the Sixers are holding him out anyway. Kris Rhim of ESPN reported that Embiid pushed to play after Saturday’s win over Milwaukee, when he posted a triple-double, but he won’t suit up on the second night of a back-to-back.
Philadelphia labeled the absence right foot plantar fasciitis management. Jabari Walker, who is dealing with a knee issue, will also miss the game, which leaves the Sixers with limited depth in the middle.
In Toronto, RJ Barrett’s place with the Raptors has become a talking point because of the team’s financial picture, but Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca says Barrett is making it harder to view him as movable. Barrett showed in the playoffs that he can handle a primary offensive load, and he’s started 2026/27 strongly enough that Toronto would need a serious backup plan if it decides to trade him or let him leave in free agency. As Lewenberg put it, Barrett is “not expendable.”
And in Brooklyn, the Nets are still searching for their first win after dropping to 0-2 in Cleveland, but there was at least something to build on in the fourth quarter. Egor Demin and Mikel Brown Jr. gave Brooklyn a spark during a comeback try that came up short, according to C.J. Holmes of The New York Daily News.
Demin had been quiet early after struggling in the opener and had just seven points through three quarters Saturday, but he caught fire late and finished with 22 points, six assists and four rebounds, including 15 points in the final period. Brown, who is working under a minutes restriction after a preseason ankle injury, shared the court with him in that stretch. “ I can’t wait to spend more time with him on the court, ” Demin said.
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