Published 11:12 IST, January 21st 2020
Jaylen Brown recalls being 'fed up' wearing Celtics colours last season and here is why
Jaylen Brown beat Lakers star LeBron James on a poster at TD Garden on Monday night. However, his journey with the Celtics hasn't been all smooth sailing.
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Jaylen Brown and the Boston Celtics had a disappointing 2018-19 season if the former's standards are taken into consideration. With Gordon Hayward returning from injury, Jaylen Brown was resigned to a bits-and-pieces role with the Celtics. His frustration was understandable, considering the fact that he had helped lead the Celtics to the Eastern Conference Finals back in 2018. The Celtics small forward admitted that he became "fed up" with his role in the team being reduced by the day, after the return of Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward from injuries.
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Kyrie Irving, Gordon Hayward's return almost derailed Jaylen Brown's career
Jaylen Brown was an exciting prospect when he was roped in by the Celtics with the third overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft. The fact that he made his debut for the Celtics against the team Kyrie Irving would move to in the future would have seemed innocuous back then. In hindsight, however, the situation appears almost ominous.
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Jaylen Brown helped the Celtics to within one game of the NBA Finals last season. The fact that the Celtics' playoffs run came without their star duo of Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward was even more impressive, along with Jaylen Brown's displays. However, the return of Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward meant that his minutes on the court were cut down, especially in the first two months of the season two, on an average, almost five minutes less per game.
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The game against Utah Jazz in mid-November in the 2018-19 campaign could be labelled as the turning point for Jaylen Brown. The Celtics small forward admitted to Bleacher Report that the 86-98 loss at home to Utah Jazz left him 'fed up' and his frustration was probably evident on his face that night at TD Garden. Surprisingly, he also admitted that at one point during that night, Jazz star Donovan Mitchell asked if he was doing okay. Brown recalls being unable to voice his frustrations to the Utah Jazz man that night.
Jaylen Brown reborn against Lakers
Those troubles, however, are now behind Jaylen Brown, and it was evident during the Lakers vs Celtics game at TD Garden on Monday night (Tuesday morning IST). Brown posterised LeBron James with a vicious two-handed dunk to stretch the Celtics' lead to 11 points with just over 8 minutes left to play in Q3. The Celtics ultimately ended up trumps in the Lakers vs Celtics match-up at home as the scoreline at TD Garden read 139-107 on the night.
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11:12 IST, January 21st 2020