We will likely be dissecting all of the complex, nuanced reasons why the Celtics ultimately decided to trade away Jaylen Brown this offseason for the rest of our time, but one thing that was clearly a factor was a reluctance to believe that Brown would be willing to take a backseat to Jayson Tatum once again.
Brown’s usage was sky-high last season, and it resulted in a 6th-place finish for the league’s MVP Award. But the Celtics weren’t convinced and decided that they actually wanted far less usage from Brown (well, none, to be specific). They didn’t think that JB would be able to scale down and sacrifice in a meaningful way that would empower Tatum and others to make the team better.
And now, in a twist of irony, for his new team to work, Brown may have to sacrifice more than he ever has before. Just as JB has truly ascended to a top-10 caliber player in the league and is ready to go prove it outside of Boston, he suddenly has a lot standing in his way with the arrival of LeBron James.
If Celtics were right about Brown, Philly could be setting up for a disaster
The Sixers now have three ball-dominant guys in James, Brown, and Tyrese Maxey, plus a behemoth in Joel Embiid who is used to the offense flowing through him. The number of times you’re going to hear some version of “there’s only one ball” on TV and social media over the next few months is going to become nauseating, but it’s truly the biggest issue facing the 76ers.
The top four guys are all going to have to give up a lot to make this work and take on much smaller roles. That includes Brown perhaps most of all. The Celtics didn’t think he would be content as a clear second option next to Tatum, but now he’s next to three viable first options in Philadelphia.
If Brad Stevens and the rest of the Celtics’ brass were right about Brown, this is going to blow up badly in Philly. We’ll hear about infighting and “who’s team is this?” narratives, players-only meetings, and things of that nature. It will look awkward on the court with too much ‘your-turn, my-turn’ basketball while guys try to pick their spots and decide when to take over versus being too passive.
The results could be pretty ugly, and Brad and the Celtics may look like geniuses as their own team thrives in an egalitarian offense in Boston.
If Brown buys in and helps Sixers win, Celtics will have egg on face
Or, the reverse could happen, and this could look terrible in a few months. The Celtics may have misjudged Brown and lit a fire under him and motivated him to sacrifice and do whatever it takes to win. If he’s able to buy into his role and go out there and play like a superstar role player, this could work out really well for the Sixers.
And if he really is happy to scale it back and can do so in an efficient way that impacts winning, then we’ll always be left to wonder ‘what if?’ in Boston. Because if he’s willing to do it in Philly and it works, then there’s no reason to think they couldn’t have gone back to JB and made it work with Tatum. Alas.
It’s a fascinating dynamic to watch in the city of brotherly love, and one way or another, we’ll have our answers before too long.
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