Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown isn’t the only one who took issue with NBA All-Star Weekend.
After Brown represented the Celtics with a 35-point, 14-rebound double-double and gave the contest some sense of competitiveness by going head-to-head with teammate Jayson Tatum in the third quarter, he had plenty to say. The 26-year-old called the game a “layup line,” citing that the Team Giannis-Team LeBron matchup wasn’t even a basketball game.
Harsh, however fair, according to former 15-year NBA veteran JJ Redick. The former shooting guard referenced Brown’s criticism and shared a similar sentiment during an episode of his podcast “The Old Man and the Three.”
“I tend to agree with what Jaylen Brown said,” Redick said. “I don’t know what the solution is. I think what fans want is what Tim Hardaway Jr. and Dion Waiters gave us a few years ago at the Rising Stars game. What fans want is a little bit harder than what Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum did in the third. Cause they were still moving at about 60 percent when they were going one-on-one.”
Redick added: “It wasn’t even remotely fun to watch.”
Redick, who’d previously participate occasionally in the 3-point competition throughout his career, was sympathetic with the fans in attendance. Some of the NBA’s most iconic moments such as Michael Jordan versus Kobe Bryant in 1998 or Shaquille O’Neal’s dunk over David Robinson in 1996, have gradually become a thing of the past.
“I feel for the fans who want to see a show but also want to see guys compete,” Redick said.
Now, players instead take a more nonchalant approach while letting the flow of the game guide itself through non-contested drives to the basket and countless deep-range 3-point attempts. Which granted, makes sense considering the non-existence of an incentive to treat the game like anything more than meaningless open rec at the YMCA.
“The game itself, it’s a (expletive) spectacle, dude,” Redick said. “By the way, I love the draft right before the game. You got the draft right before the game, then there’s a Post Malone concert. It’s not meant to be competitive. … The game preperation to get yourself in a place to compete does not exist at All-Star Weekened.”
