Jaylen Brown calling last season his “favorite” sparked plenty of controversy, especially after the Celtics blew a 3-1 lead against the 76ers.
But the context behind Brown’s comments could actually tell Philadelphia plenty about what they’re getting from their newest star.
Brown was without Jayson Tatum for most of the 2025-26 season as Boston entered the year with significantly lower expectations. Rather than focusing solely on his individual production, Brown said he enjoyed taking responsibility for a younger group.
“I think this has been my favorite season so far, being able to get an opportunity to lead a group,” Brown told reporters in December. “A group of guys who … Some of us have some championship experience, but we have five or six new guys who haven’t really played NBA basketball. And now, we look like one of the better teams in the league. And that’s just credit to our coaching staff and credit to our leadership that we’ve been able to get those guys comfortable. And we’re playing some good basketball right now, so it means everything.”
Brown doubled down after Boston’s playoff elimination, explaining that the team’s response to low expectations was what made the season so meaningful.
“The expectations for this team was to fail,” Brown said on Twitch. “The expectations for this team was to be nothing. Just to give in, and to quit. This team did the exact opposite. We fought every single day. We fought for everything.”
That mentality could become important in Philadelphia.
“To be honest, it doesn’t have to be anybody’s team,” Brown said. “It just needs to be based in respect and work. And that’s kind of my approach. I want to earn everybody’s respect and trust, which takes time. Obviously, it’s a lot of guys with talent, there’s egos, but to win, you’ve gotta be able to sacrifice, you’ve gotta be able to have trust and communication. I want to come in transparent. I want to come in with my agenda on the table, ‘Look, this is what I’m here to do, this is what I want to do. I want to win.’ And we kinda can figure out how to respectfully move around each other.”
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