Jaylen Brown has not vented frustration to Celtics, Brad Stevens says

Brad Stevens downplayed rumors of a growing rift between Jaylen Brown and the Boston Celtics, revealing that the veteran star expressed no frustration with his role in the organization during a recent conversation.

Stevens answered questions about Brown on Wednesday, four days after the Celtics’ season ended in stunning fashion with a first-round playoff loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.

Speculation about Brown’s future in Boston swirled earlier Wednesday morning thanks to recent comments from Basketball Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady, who said the five-time All-Star’s “frustration lies deep within the [Celtics] organization.”

Stevens said he spoke with Brown on Monday and described the conversation as “nothing but positive.”

“He didn’t express his frustrations to me,” said Stevens, the Celtics’ president of basketball operations.

Brown made headlines earlier this week with his comments during an appearance on his Twitch stream, when he criticized the officiating and called out Sixers star Joel Embiid for failing throughout the seven-game series between Boston and Philadelphia.

Those comments came a day after Brown and the Celtics lost Game 7 at home, becoming the 14th team in NBA history to blow a 3-1 playoff lead. But Stevens expressed support for Brown on Wednesday, adding that he was open to ongoing conversations with the 2024 NBA Finals MVP.

“We’ve been here 10 years together, and I think — obviously I love JB,” Stevens said. “Everybody here loves JB, and I think — like all of our other guys, as we get to the end of the season — I’ll be here and my door is always open.”

McGrady, a longtime mentor of Brown, speculated on his “Cousins” podcast that Brown was having issues related to his position in the organization, especially after his performance this season while co-star Jayson Tatum was recovering from Achilles surgery.

“I think his frustration lies deep in the organization and other things that we don’t really have details on,” McGrady said on the podcast. “I’ve heard a lot of things about the Boston organization with JB.

“I think part of him is like, ‘I showed you more of who I am as a basketball player. Not only, you know, what I did on the basketball court, but the leadership that I showed on this team, and you saw that not having our best player in [Tatum].’ So, I think that all of that came into play with him and his frustration. »

Brown, 29, took on a significant role during Tatum’s absence and had the most productive season of his career, averaging 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists — all career highs — while leading the Celtics to a 56-26 record and the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.

But the Celtics’ season ended abruptly with Saturday’s 109-100 Game 7 loss to their rival Sixers. Philadelphia beat Boston in the playoffs for the first time since 1982, ending a six-game series losing streak. The Celtics were 32-0 all-time while holding a 3-1 series lead.

“If anyone ever wants to come and talk about it, talk about their team, their place, whatever the case may be, I’m all ears,” Stevens said. “And it would be 1 to 16 [on the roster]not just Jaylen, not just Jayson, not just the guys that came here.

“I think it’s really important to be available. So I certainly am, and nothing like that.” [frustration from Brown] was expressed to me.”