Jaylen Brown on relationship with Jayson Tatum: 'I think our fans have more of a hard time coexisting than me and him do'

When asked whether he wants to stay in Boston long term, Brown is noncommittal. “I don’t know. As long as I’m needed. It’s not up to me,” he says. “We’ll see how they feel about me over time and I feel about them over time. Hopefully, whatever it is, it makes sense. But I will stay where I’m wanted. I will stay where I’m needed and treated correct.” -via The Ringer / March 22, 2023

When asked how long he wants to play with Tatum, Brown keeps his focus on the immediate future. “I just enjoy the time that you have now,” he says. “If it’s your whole career, it’s your whole career. If it’s not, it’s not. Some of the greatest players of all time haven’t finished with their organization. Michael Jordan retired a Wizard. As much as we like it here and enjoy being here, you see where life takes you. You see how the process goes. All you do is really focus on what’s in front of you right now, to be honest. But I don’t really know or want to answer that question because that type of stuff makes Celtics fans speculate and go crazy. Especially right now, I’ll just say we’ll get there when we get there.” -via The Ringer / March 22, 2023

But the collaboration between Brown and Tatum nearly ended last July, when Kevin Durant requested a trade from the Nets. The Celtics were among the teams to express interest, reportedly offering a package that included Brown, Derrick White, and future draft picks. “[KD] and JT are friends. They was working out together and whatnot,” Brown says. “So, I wasn’t sure what the energy was. I wasn’t sure what the direction of the organization was.” -via The Ringer / March 22, 2023

Puzzled, Brown placed a three-way call to Stevens and Tatum. During that discussion, Stevens says he assured Brown that the guard wasn’t going anywhere. “You just have to have a direct conversation,” Stevens tells me of the meeting. “And you just have to be able to say, ‘This is what’s real. This is where we are. Obviously, you and Jayson are the two guys that we’ve built the whole roster around. And our every expectation is for us to come and compete together and try to be two games better than we were last year.’” -via The Ringer / March 22, 2023

“The pain came from being ready to do more,” Brown says. “And not being allowed to. From a basketball standpoint, I always felt like … throw me out there no matter if I’m in Boston or in Japan [playing for Team USA]. I’m going to figure it out. I’m more athletic, I’ve got more skill than the majority of people in this league. And I’m a wing, which is of extreme value. I got long arms. I’m athletic. I can get to where I’m going. I can see the game. I got a feel for it. I had to learn more about how to play the game. And that came with experience.” -via The Ringer / March 22, 2023

How have you adjusted your play in the Celtics system playing alongside Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown? Malcolm Brogdon: I think that I play more off the ball. I definitely play point guard at times, but really, now I am guarding 1 through 5 and I’m playing the 1, the 2 and the 3. So (there’s) a lot of spotting up in the corner, moving and cutting without the ball, not being the decision maker all of the time. -via Bally Sports / March 21, 2023