jaylen brown didn’t deserve this

a celtics fan in mourning | free palestine

[jaylen brown didn’t deserve this @nbachampdwson]

Just out here searching for the answers

[jaylen brown didn’t deserve this @nbachampdwson]

this is why advanced analytics should not be the only measure of a player’s impact on winning - i can’t believe boston is so committed to a system/style of play that is clearly not working anymore and traded a top 10 player in the league to double down

[databallr @databallr]

I have some more thoughts on this trade from the perspective of the Boston Celtics.

When Brad Stevens decides to trade Jaylen Brown, a Finals MVP in his prime, he probably has some good reasons.

Boston has spent years winning in roster construction.

The Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, and Kristaps Porzingis trades set the Celtics up to win a title.

They've repeatedly signed contracts that have returned multiples on the court.

Queta. Hauser. Pritchard. Kornet. Garza. Baylor.

I am bullish on the Mitchell Robinson signing, too.

That is an organizational edge.

When Tatum and Brown are both getting paid supermax money, Boston becomes less flexible. The roster becomes more fixed. Their capital is tied up. The front office has fewer ways to turn its advantage into wins.

Flexibility is more valuable for a team that can use it well.

If you are going to trade Jaylen Brown after a 28 PPG season, given the success of this team, the evidence that the Celtics will not fall apart without him needs to be strong.

And the evidence is as strong as it can be in this situation.

Across multiple versions of this team, across different rosters and contexts, the Celtics have consistently produced elite results on the court without him.

The Tatum only lineups have annihilated the league.
Jaylen Brown has a negative 5 year RAPM in his prime. This is shocking.

This suggests Boston may not need this specific player at this specific price on this specific team.

Why?

Because they are playing AI hoops, also known as "Mazzulla ball."

Mazzulla ball is a strategy built on shot quality and possession math.

Make quick decisions. Turn the ball over less than your opponent. Take a fuck ton of threes. Crash the glass and capitalize on the extra misses taking that many threes mathematically creates. Defend.

Apply so much pressure outside the arc that a stressed defense concedes an easy inside the arc bucket marginally more often.

That is the machine.

High three-point rate. Low turnovers. Offensive rebounding. Defense.

And Jaylen Brown is not especially great at the things this machine values most.

He is a talented, physical, turnover-prone, two-point-heavy scorer who can get you tough buckets. This is not the ideal archetype for this system.

With Jaylen on the court, 44% of Boston’s shots came from three.

With Jaylen off the court, that number jumped to 51%.

With Tatum on and Jaylen off, Boston is shooting 58% of their shots from 3 in the last two seasons.

That is a clear shift in how they play.

With Jaylen, Boston is playing half Mazzulla ball. Without him, full Mazzulla ball.

The Jaylen Brown trade for Paul George and two firsts has people scratching their heads.

Look, Paul George is older. He has durability risk. He may decline more than expected. He has two years left at around $50 million per year. He may not end up providing much value to Boston.

But he fits the system.

He is an excellent three-point shooter. He can defend. He can force turnovers at an elite rate. I have very little doubt that he will improve Boston's defense in a tangible way. And, he can still get you tough buckets when the system needs one.

I have news for you guys.

The Celtics are going full Mazzulla ball next year. People thought they were taking a step back after their playoff collapse. No. They are going all in. If you don't like three pointers, turn the TV off, it's going to be unwatchable.

They traded away Jaylen Brown, an anti-Mazzulla ball player.

They brought in one of the best shooting forwards in the league in Paul George. A Discount Tatum at this stage of his career, if you will.

They just acquired one of the best offensive rebounders ever in Mitchell Robinson. He had a 21% offensive rebound rate last year.

Tatum Mazzulla ball without JB has been so effective, why not also just run Discount Tatum Mazzulla ball when Tatum is off the court?

They are going to try and shoot nearly 60% of their shots from three and clean up >30% of their misses.

Trading Jaylen for PG, picks, and flexibility is not a talent for talent bet.

It is a bet that Jaylen Brown's talent is less useful for this team's playstyle than his points per game and contract say he is.

A bet that the Celtics are not dependent on him to win in the playoffs.

A bet that having a talented tough-bucket scorer is less valuable than having everyone aligned in the same system.

A bet on Paul George still being impactful at 36.

A bet on Payton Pritchard thriving with more opportunity.

A bet on the front office continuing to make great decisions.

A bet that Mazzulla ball does not actually fail in the playoffs like many think, and that the increased variance of Boston’s three-point strategy potentially causing a series loss in the playoffs is an outcome with a probability they are comfortable living with.

And, of course, a bet that Jaylen Brown does not become the most impactful version of himself in Philly and make them regret it.

[Noa Dalzell 🏀 @NoaDalzell]

Jaylen Brown’s foundations released this statement:

[Sam LaFrance @SamLaFranceNBA]

Reddit Post of the Day

[jaylen brown didn’t deserve this @nbachampdwson]

i am sick

[jaylen brown didn’t deserve this @nbachampdwson]

analogy understood, but it’s still fucking stupid 💀

[Jeje Gomez @JejeGomezNBA]

An all-time amazing Bill Simmons moment: "Portland won't give up Donovan Clingan?! They won't?! For Jaylen Brown?! I've never seen anything like this."

Days after the Cs refused to include Gonzalez and Scheierman in the Giannis trade. He mentions it earlier in the pod! Amazing.

[jaylen brown didn’t deserve this @nbachampdwson]

happy for kat :)

[Hoop Central @TheHoopCentral]

"Thank you mama, I appreciate you getting me one.”

— Karl-Anthony Towns. 🙏🙏🙏

[jaylen brown didn’t deserve this @nbachampdwson]

best runs so far

[jaylen brown didn’t deserve this @nbachampdwson]

@gothamhiphop matt champion erasure

[jaylen brown didn’t deserve this @nbachampdwson]

jaylen brown should be all-nba first team - both luka and cade had to appeal to even qualify

[NBA Communications @NBAPR]

A global media panel of 100 voters selected the 2025-26 Kia All-NBA Team.

The complete voting results ⬇️

[jaylen brown didn’t deserve this @nbachampdwson]

idk how these people call themselves fans lmfao

[☘️ @JrueLFG]

JB
Hugo
Neemi
4 1sts
+Take back a bad contract of the Bucks choosing

[jaylen brown didn’t deserve this @nbachampdwson]

brad steven’s worst move of his tenure was trading simons for vucevic. i get the tax benefits, but simons would have been valuable today. vuc, let’s just say, i’m ecstatic to never have to watch in green again

[jaylen brown didn’t deserve this @nbachampdwson]

celtics over performed this year, sixers under performed - boston came back to reality at the worst possible time and philly at the best. this was not a generational collapse, stop whining, brad will figure it out in the coming months.

[jaylen brown didn’t deserve this @nbachampdwson]

jaylen mvp caliber season, joe gonna win coty - they weren’t their best for a few games but neither was the entire roster

[jaylen brown didn’t deserve this @nbachampdwson]

to all those saying fire joe and trade jaylen, focus on your southie darties and stfu

[jaylen brown didn’t deserve this @nbachampdwson]

i fucking love this

[Boston Celtics @celtics]

Starters for Game 7️⃣

@DraftKings

[jaylen brown didn’t deserve this @nbachampdwson]

spurs in 4, free palestine

[Israel ישראל @Israel]

Deni Avdija makes history as the first Israeli to reach the NBA Playoffs 🇮🇱🔥
He didn’t just get to the Playoffs...he led the way. A historic night, scoring 41 points and game-changing baskets, with the go-ahead shot at just 16 seconds left. Israeli pride shining on the NBA stage!

[Noa Dalzell 🏀 @NoaDalzell]

Tonight's Celtics starters:

Derrick White
Jaylen Brown
Sam Hauser
Jayson Tatum
Neemias Queta

[jaylen brown didn’t deserve this @nbachampdwson]

what is going on in the nba

[jaylen brown didn’t deserve this @nbachampdwson]

@NBA2KMovement jayson tatum

[jaylen brown didn’t deserve this @nbachampdwson]

so fucking braindead. being from somewhere doesn’t make you the expert, especially when media is primarily propaganda. also wahhh you so persecuted in your million dollar oregon home wahhh. palestinians don’t have fucking water to drink.

[NBACentral @TheDunkCentral]

Deni Avdija says he’s fed up with the hate he receives for being from Israel, calls out the lack of education on the topic, and demands respect, saying those outside the Middle East shouldn’t speak on it

“You don’t have to love what I stand for or how I look, but if I’m a good player, give props. All this hate … for no reason. Like, I’m deciding things in the world. I’ll be honest: What do people expect me to do? This is my country, where I was born, where I grew up. I love my country; there are a lot of great things about my country. But obviously, not everyone is educated and knows what is going on, and that’s what pisses me off. Because if you are educated and know what is going on, it’s fine to say what you think and say who you think is right or wrong. But if you are not educated and you are not part of the Middle East, and you don’t understand how long this goes back and understand the consequences and everything … just don’t say anything.”

(Via https://t.co/UbAaSGHr3W)