CANTON, Mass. — Jaylen Brown isn’t letting expectations take over his mindset heading into the 2019-20 season.
The second-longest tenured Boston Celtic is focused on the here and now, rather than looking down the road. The latter forced Boston into some trouble last season, and it’s clear Brown is looking to avoid that this year.
“I don’t think there are any expectations I really want to put on it,” he said Monday at the team’s media day. “My mantra for myself and for my teammates is to just come out and hoop. Just come out and play basketball and get better every single day and see where that takes us.
Brown being selected with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2016 draft feels like yesterday, but he’s suddenly thrust into a bit of a leadership role with this year’s team. He’s been through plenty of changes during his time in Boston, so the California product isn’t worried moving forward.
“I’ve been here, what, four seasons now, including the summer, but I’ve learned and grew a lot in many different roles. Probably almost every role pretty much since I’ve been here,” Brown added. “I think I’ve grown a lot. I started out as an 18-year-old and now I’ll be 23 next month. The journey has been kind of crazy, but it’s been good.”
Of course, the uncertainty surrounding Brown’s contract situation continues to grab the headlines surrounding the wing. He’s eligible for his rookie extension prior to the start of this season, but it’s more than likely that the Celtics will elect to wait it out until next offseason, as they’ve done with so many others in the past.
He downplayed the contract talks during media day, but it’s clear Brown is ready to put last season in the rear view heading into training camp.
