Jaylen Brown reflects on 'weird' edge Celtics haven't had in years

BOSTON – For the first time in years, the Boston Celtics look the same. They achieved their ultimate goal last year, winning the 2024 NBA Championship. Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and the rest of the team cemented themselves in Celtics history, and this summer, they accomplished something few teams get the chance to do.

When a team wins a title, they usually look different the following season. Whether that means losing a starter in free agency or a trade, something is often amiss. Not for the Celtics. Brad Stevens brought back nearly an identical roster. Combined with the team’s coaching continuity, the Celtics are in a new spot.

And Brown is very excited about it.

Jaylen Brown excited for Celtics to have some stability

At Celtics Media Day, Brown expressed how weird it is that the Celtics roster is going to look the same heading into next year. But he’s pumped about it.

"Kind of weird, absolutely, having some stability,” Brown said. “Because over the last course years, we've had head coaches change. Coaches leaving in the middle of the season. Trade. Players in and out. But nobody mentions that when you when you lose. So, it's good to hear it as an excuse now, when you win, that we have some stability. But it definitely feels a little bit different.”

Ever since Brown has been in the league, the Celtics have been making changes.

From trading Isaiah Thomas to losing Kyrie Irving to losing Al Horford (and getting him back), the roster has been in a constant state of flux. Even the coaching staff has looked different year in and year out. Brown went from Brad Stevens to Ime Udoka to now, Joe Mazzulla, who is entering his third year with the Celtics.

It’s an unusual position for Brown and his squad, but he sees it as a chance to build something special, even in the absence of Kristaps Porzingis. 

“I think it'll be good for us to continue to build off the chemistry that we already have and just to kind of take some leaps forward,” Brown said. “Obviously, KP is big for us, so we're going have to carry the load a little bit more, but we'll figure it out."

Stevens pulled off what seems like a miracle this offseason, bringing back almost every piece of Boston’s 2024 championship roster. Outside of Oshae Brissett and Svi Mykhailiuk, everyone is back for another season.

Now, the Celtics will have to build on that edge.