BOSTON – We have seen many sides of Boston Celtics rookie Jaylen Brown.
In the fourth quarter of Wednesday’s 109-104 over Toronto, we saw one seldom seen – angry Jaylen Brown.
“Definitely seeing that side of Jaylen is a good sign for us,” said Boston’s Marcus Smart.
What set Brown off was a foul delivered by Toronto’s Kyle Lowry after Brown’s take-off for a jam. It had the makings of a very sweet dunk which would have been right on time as the Celtics were furiously trying to rally after having trailed by as many as 18 points.
Brown went down hard to floor, but quickly rose to his feet and started walking towards Lowry before players from both teams stepped in. The incident led to offsetting technical fouls on Boston's Terry Rozier and Toronto's DeMarre Carroll.
“I just felt I had a clear path,” Brown told CSNNE.com. “I was already in the air. It’s dangerous when you leave the air like that. But it was all love after the game.”
Why you ask?
Boston Celtics
Because the same Lowry that decked him Wednesday night, was one of the most influential individuals in helping Brown develop his work ethic which has been constantly praised by the Celtics coaching staff, players and the front office.
Brown said he first met Lowry when he was in high school.
“I was a 16-year-old kid, skinny, low hair cut working out in Vegas,” Brown told CSNNE.com. “He pulled me to the side one time and said, ‘if you’re not going to work out, you’re going to have to get off the floor.’ He really showed me what it meant to work.”
From there, Brown recalled the two working out together for a week.
“He showed me how to work. I’m 15, 16-years-old working out in Vegas, kind of going through the motions,” Brown said. “That was something that I kept for years. And to now play against him is surreal.”
That’s why Brown, while upset at the foul Lowry delivered, quickly calmed himself down when he realized the man who knocked him down – Lowry – was the same man who years ago helped build him up into being one of the more promising young wing players in this rookie class.
“I knew it wasn’t anything malicious or anything like that,” Brown said of the Lowry foul.
Lowry is just one of the many NBA players that Brown has been influenced by in some form.
“It’s kind of surreal; it’s a great feeling,” Brown said. “I’ve always worked to be here, and now I’m playing against some of the people that mentored me, helped me get here.”
But as Brown’s response to getting fouled by Lowry will attest to, he’s not letting that respect get in the way of doing whatever he can to help the Celtics win games.
“I show them all the respect that they deserve,” Brown said. “But at the same time, I’m trying to take their head off.”
