Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum form arguably the NBA's best duo, but it was a total team effort on their road to Banner 18.
Brown emphasized that point after the Boston Celtics' win over the Denver Nuggets in Friday's preseason opener in Abu Dhabi. Asked about forming a superstar tandem with Tatum, the 2024 NBA Finals MVP shifted the attention to the rest of his teammates.
"We understand that's what the media -- they emphasize and select that. But this sport is played five-on-five," Brown answered. "We need all of our teammates out there to contribute to help us be who we are. I think we've been able to accomplish a lot, but having great teammates as well has been able to help increase.
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"So the sport is played five-on-five. I know we like to highlight duos or individuals for their play, but I like to be a part of the team and uplift the team because that helps me be who I am."
It's a humble and mature response from Brown, who has only gotten better with each season in his seven-year career. Last season, the soon-to-be 28-year-old joined Tatum at the NBA All-Star Game for the third time. He finished the campaign with career-highs in field goal percentage (49.9) and assists (3.6) while taking his defense to another level.
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On Friday, Brown notched eight points (seven in the first quarter) with two rebounds, two assists, a steal, and a block in 19 minutes. He was in midseason form, but again he turned his attention to the supporting cast during his postgame press conference.
“I thought our second group came out and played astonishing," he said. "Payton (Pritchard) came out, does what Payton does, hit shots. Sam (Hauser) got a lot of great looks. Jaden (Springer), Jordan (Walsh), Neemy (Neemias Queta) all contributed.”
Indeed, Boston's second unit starred in the 107-103 victory. Payton Pritchard led the way with a game-high 21 points on 6-of-12 shooting from 3-point range.
The C's and Nuggets will have a preseason rematch Sunday in Abu Dhabi. Tip-off for the matchup is set for 10 a.m. ET with coverage starting at 9:30 a.m. on NBC Sports Boston.