As the NBA offseason winds down, teams across the league are beginning to gear up for the upcoming season. Players are organizing team workouts, getting back into game shape, and preparing for the grind ahead. The Dallas Mavericks held a run in Los Angeles, the Spurs gathered in Texas, and other teams are following suit. The energy is building, and the anticipation for the new season is palpable. Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics is particularly excited. After a summer of celebration, he is ready to defend the championship title his team earned last season.
However, Brown is fully aware that this time around, the Celtics will have a target on their backs. In a conversation with Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area, Brown expressed his readiness for the challenges that lie ahead.
“Last year is over, to be honest,” Brown stated. “We celebrated, we had a good time. It’s been an awesome summer. I’ve been having a great summer, by the way. But it’s over with. Now we have the target on our back. Everybody’s trying to come after us and I’m like, ‘Come on.’ It’s back to work. And I’m looking forward to next season.”
While many championship teams struggle with a “hangover” in the season following their victory, Brown and his fellow star, Jayson Tatum, might be an exception. Thanks to their experiences with Steve Kerr and USA Basketball, they may have avoided the complacency that sometimes follows a title win. This summer, Tatum was benched during key games in the Paris Olympics, while Brown was passed over as a replacement for Kawhi Leonard in favor of teammate Derrick White. These snubs could reignite the competitive fire in Boston’s two best players, bringing a renewed sense of determination as they return to the court.
However, the Celtics may face a challenge at the start of the season due to the absence of center Kristaps Porzingis, who will be sidelined until December following surgery to repair a torn retinaculum and dislocated posterior tibialis tendon. This injury kept Porzingis out of some NBA Finals games and could slow Boston’s early momentum.
Despite this setback, Boston enters the season as the team to beat, and Jaylen Brown is eager to get back to work and lead the charge in defending their title.
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