Motto of time for Brown
Words to live by for 2nd-year Celtic
Jaylen Brown always has viewed the world he lives in as bigger than basketball, but that point was driven home even more upon joining the Celtics last year.
That’s when Brown was exposed to a motto that Celtics veteran Isaiah Thomas tries to live by. The maxim’s roots are unclear, but the message resonates with Brown. So he soon adopted it, too.
“When I die, if I’m just known as a good basketball player, then I didn’t do my job, I failed as a human being,” Brown said as he recalled the quote. “I kind of hold myself to the same standard, and if you just remember me for being a good basketball player, I didn’t do enough while I was here.”
Brown is putting those words into action.
He is more than two months away from turning 21 and entering his second year in the league, yet Brown clearly sees himself as more than just a basketball player. He wants to use his influence as an NBA player to be a voice and create change.
That’s on display as Brown participates in tomorrow’s NBA Africa Game. The second-year guard/forward spent the last week in Johannesburg, South Africa, where the league hopes to grow the game. He said he jumped at the opportunity, which has allowed him to work with children learning the game of basketball.
“It’s my driving force,” Brown said when asked how he uses that influence. “I actually think about it a lot. It’s what keeps me going, just using the game to influence not only my community, but to spread light on a lot of different things that athletes have a voice to do.”
That mindset bodes well for the Celtics, too, as their second-year player matures into a more significant role.
While he’s young, Brown’s actions indicate he’s a budding leader on a Celtics team that has great deal of young players and could add more in the coming years. During summer league last month, Brown organized and hosted an under-21 night for new players, and his presence alone at summer league, although optional, was an indication of just how serious he is about getting better and leading by example.
In summer league, Brown wanted to use the opportunity to specifically play in more of a backcourt role. As opposed to last year, when he played mostly as a 3 or 4, Brown’s responsibilities included defending guards and running the offense.
“It was by design,” Brown said. “I think that’s exactly what we pinpointed coming in, just trying to get better at different aspects of my game and use summer league for pretty much what it’s worth. . . . That’s a part of my game that I wanted to get better at, and it’s a part of my game I still have to get better at.
“Being a ball-handler, creating for others, running the team, being a leader, that type of stuff is going to help me in the long run, and that’s the type of stuff I was trying to excel at and work on in summer league.”
Brown also noted he’s focused on scoring the ball in different ways — something that was on display during summer league — and being a versatile defender. But he’s not satisfied.
It’s all part of a long-term plan — on the court and off the court — of the Celtics for Brown. So far, his summer has backed that up.
“I’m the same player, but just a better player, a smarter player and now a more-experienced player now being in my second year, so I’m excited for the next year,” Brown said. “I’ve been putting in a lot of work and I’m excited to show it.”