Boston Celtics Thoughts on Jaylen Brown, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Isaiah Thomas, Jason Collins

This past week has been full of trying to anticipate the Boston Celtics’ summer moves and then come up with tricks to make them happen in the best possible way. In all the research of names the Celtics could pursue and a mistake they should avoid, a few things connected to the Celtics have popped up here and there. Here are a few thoughts on some of these random topics.

Jaylen Brown’s bad timing

Brown made waves on his live stream when he reiterated that this past season was his favorite. It’s something he’s said since late December, so it was no surprise that he felt that way. But people were put off by the timing of going live so soon after blowing a 3-1 lead in the first round and reiterating that fact.

Okay … fine … people were upset in the immediate aftermath of the loss, and Brown did a poor job of reading the room. As I’ve said before, the criticism is something the Celtics have to sit with because they brought it on themselves.

But following that in rapid succession was an appearance on the Jennifer Hudson show and the release of an NBA Player’s Association podcast that made it look like Brown was on some kind of big media tour. The problem was both the podcast and his television happy dance were both recorded during the regular season and only just released. So it wasn’t really a media tour as much as it was unfortunate timing for Brown.

It didn’t help that Brown badly misremembered the circumstances of his 2018 benching, claiming that Brad Stevens favored Gordon Hayward over him when, in actuality, Hayward was also benched and Stevens elevated Marcus Smart and Marcus Morris. It also didn’t help that Brown claimed a fan petition forced Boston’s hand to put him back in the starting lineup when the only online petition that could be found from that time had 12 signatures on it, and the reality was that a Smart oblique strain was the reason why Brown started again.

Jaylen Brown said he used fan support years ago to start again despite the fact that Brad Stevens preferred Gordon Hayward:

“Once you get the people talking about it, the front office is going to start making decisions.”

Celtics fans even started a petition:

“That eventually… pic.twitter.com/HqTfuq2YGk
— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) May 13, 2026

It’s hard to understand why Brown might have been so far off with the details of that season. My guess is that Brown needs to twist everything that happens into a slight against him so he can use it as fuel, and he remembers how he processed it rather than how it happened.

Hey, more power to him. If that fueled him to get better, I don’t care if he says he rode into the playoffs on a unicorn. But he does have to understand that the internet is like Pepperidge Farm in that it remembers everything.

Tardy Giannis Antetokounmpo

I was already out on Antetokounmpo to Boston, but Myles Turner made me feel really good about that take.

On his podcast with Breanna Stewart, he revealed that Doc Rivers didn’t fine anyone for anything, including being late, and Antetokounmpo was ALWAYS late.

“If the plane took off at 2 o’clock, we weren’t leaving until 4:30,” he said. “Guys were an hour late to the plane. It got to the point where I just knew not to show up until an hour after they said the plane was taking off.”

You can watch the podcast here. This particular section starts at 20:45.

I’m sorry, but if you don’t respect your team enough to show up on time, then I don’t really want you around. Being on time is being a good teammate. Everyone on that plane, from the coaches to the staff to the pilots, attendants, and security, have lives. If you think your ability to play basketball makes you more important than the lives that these people lead, then you need a reality check.

Keep him away from this team. Basketball-wise, he’s still great but that's fading as he gets deeper into his 30’s. Attitude-wise, I don’t want this front office catering to egos that out of control.

Isaiah Thomas a Celtic again

According to the Globe, Thomas is joining the team as a pro and college scout based in his hometown of Seattle.

It might mean we see Thomas around from time to time, but it’s more likely he’ll spend his time on the west coast, file his reports, and get a direct deposit from the Celtics bank account.

I didn’t make anything of this other than saying to myself “oh, that's nice,” but the reaction from the Celtics fan base made it clear how much they still love IT. I’ve seen glowing reunion pieces celebrating him being a Celtic again, even though he’ll primarily just be watching games three hours later than we do.

The people love Isaiah Thomas. It's cool to see him getting more time on TV now, too. The game is truly better with IT involved.

Jason Collins 1978-2026

It was a somber week in basketball, losing both Brandon Clarke and Jason Collins. Clarke’s passing is still being investigated, so there isn't much more to say there other than to acknowledge the tragedy of losing such a young man who was revered in his community for all the work he’d done.

Collins’ passing was expected, but no less tragic. He played briefly for the Celtics after coming out as gay, and his status as the first openly gay player in the NBA should have been a signal that it was okay to be true to oneself and still be a professional athlete.

Unfortunately, his courageous announcement didn’t have the full effect of encouraging others to follow suit. To this day, he remains the only NBA player to come out, even though it’s widely acknowledged that there are surely others in the league.

It says a lot about how homosexuality is still perceived, and how much work there is to do. If there is any solace in Collin’s passing, it’s that he was true to himself, and he didn’t carry any secrets with him to the grave. He lived his truth, and he served as an inspiration to young people struggling with the stigma.

It’s not hyperbolic to say that he saved lives because of this. Too many young men can’t bear the weight of keeping their sexuality a secret. For those who saw Collins and felt it was time to join him in being open and free, his decision was life-changing, and almost certainly life-saving.

I still hope that others in the NBA and around professional sports will follow suit. It’s past time to throw old stigmas in the trash and become positive examples.

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