Joe Mazzulla Applauds Jaylen Brown's Evolution: 'One of my Favorite People'

Eric Jay Santos | May 23, 2024

May 23, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) reacts after a play against the Indiana Pacers in the second half during game two of the eastern conference finals for the 2024 NBA playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports / David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

On Thursday, the Boston Celtics took a 126-110 win against the Indiana Pacers in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Jaylen Brown scored a game-high 40 points on 14-for-27 shooting from the field. 

Per Inside The Celtics, head coach Joe Mazzulla reacted to Brown’s strong Game 2 performance. 

“Just making the right play. Poise. Patience. Discipline. Proper actions, getting the right spacing, and picking and choosing his spots really well, whether it was in transition or in the half-court. So, just continues to get better and better. He takes a lot of pride in his ability to impact games in different ways, and I thought he did that tonight.”

Last season, after averaging 26.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game, Brown was selected to the All-NBA Second Team. Despite maintaining similar averages this year, the Celtics forward didn’t receive the honor. 

Mazzulla believes the All-NBA snub has motivated Brown, and the 35-year-old complimented his player’s growth mindset. 

“He's just like, one of my favorite people. I think, how's he handling that? I think he cares about it in a way that motivates him, and I think he doesn't really care about it at all because he understands that winning is the most important thing. And so, he has an innate ability to just get there, work hard, motivation. He has unreal confidence, but he's also not afraid to work on the things that he knows he has to get better at. And so, you see him every day at shootaround or practice. He's out there with six, seven coaches working on every possession, every spacing imaginable so that he sees his reads. He just cares about the right stuff. But you know, I honestly, I think stuff like that does motivate him, but I know he also really wants to win. He has a growth mindset. Wants to get better. So I've really enjoyed coaching him and really watching him work.”

Game 3 is scheduled for Saturday, May 25 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Tip-off is at 8:30 p.m. EST.