Jaylen Brown wants the Boston Celtics to limit the distractions in the upcoming season.
The Celtics have been no strangers to headlines in recent seasons, and it hasn't always been about their play on the court. Reports of locker room turmoil and certain soundbites from noteworthy players have served as unnecessary hindrances.
Last season was an underwhelming one for Boston, and it won't be able to get by in the 2021-22 campaign on talent alone. In hopes of putting the team in the best position to succeed, Brown wants every member of the C's to have a laser focus on the task at hand.
"Just to play basketball, have fun and play. You just got to play the games. That's it. No pressure," Brown told The Undefeated's Marc J. Spears when asked about his expectations for Boston this season. "No offense, but keep the media (noise) out the locker room, just focus on the game. I think sometimes, especially depending on the market, you start to say things in the media, and then things start to snowball in terms of internal issues become blown out of proportion. And it could be something small that can be resolved, but if the media takes it, then everybody's going to be upset about it because now they got to answer for it. Coaches got to reply to it. We come to practice, we got to answer to it."
Brown and Co. will kick off their four-game exhibition slate Oct. 4. They'll open their regular season in New York on Oct. 20 when they battle the Knicks.
