Look, no one should've expected the Jaylen Brown-Celtics storyline to magically disappear once he officially began the next step of his career with the Philadelphia 76ers. It will remain a talking point, especially leading up to every matchup between the two teams (the first is on Nov. 10). He'll have to get used to it and keep his focus where it should be—on his new team.
That's exactly what he wants to do. Earlier this week, on "The Starting Lineup" with co-host Frank Isola, Brian Scalabrine gave the Celtics a list of demands that they had to meet, or he'd request a trade. He later said that Brown "technically" didn't request a trade, but that the guard did give Boston a list of demands.
After Philadelphia's win over Indiana on Wednesday, Brown told the media he hadn't requested a trade and didn't give the Celtics ultimatums.
“I never made a list of ultimatums. None of the sort. None of that is true. But, as of now, I’m just gonna stay focused on what’s in front of me here in Philadelphia. I have a tremendous opportunity, and I’m looking forward to that. So, I’m just going to leave the questions for another time. But, during the season, I’m just going to focus on what’s in front of me.”
That last sentence is key. The chatter won't quiet down (we're only one week into the season!), but all Brown can do is control what he can control.
Jaylen Brown can't let the outside noise affect him
Brown is still adjusting to his new environment. He's done a decent job of that so far, averaging 20.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.2 steals per game. He's also averaging 3.0 assists per game. While you could attribute part of that to him getting used to playing with Philadelphia, he led the league with 3.6 turnovers per game last season. That's an area he needs to improve.
Philadelphia is giving him the space to figure it out. Brown doesn't have to carry the team like he did last year in Boston without Jayson Tatum. He's surrounded by star talent, which hasn't been an adjustment only for the newcomers like him. The Sixers are off to a solid 4-1 start, but it's still a work in progress.
As Brown said, being in Philadelphia is a "tremendous opportunity." The Sixers are in the best position in years to win a championship. And part of getting there will mean tuning out the outside noise and staying focused on what matters. That means more for Brown than for his teammates, since he's in the unique position of playing for a division rival after being traded.
He can't expect to avoid questions about how his time in Boston ended, or questions about any interactions he has (or doesn't have) with Tatum when they play against one another. They'll keep coming, but as he did on Wednesday, he can reiterate that he wants to stay focused on the present.
Brown will always be linked to Boston (he meant too much to that organization to expect anything different), but now, it's all about Philadelphia.
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