Jaylen Brown had to know this day was coming. The day he'd be on the other side of those green and white jerseys he wore the first 10 years of his career. The day he'd have to back up everything he was saying, thinking and feeling about his ex-teammate still wearing those colors.
It's surprising he wasn't more prepared.
In his first game against the Boston Celtics since they traded him to the rival Philadelphia 76ers, Brown put himself in early foul trouble and scored a season-low 13 points with four turnovers and a minus-27 in a 22-point blowout. His performance did not match the energy he's been projecting towards Jayson Tatum.
It's a shame. Before this, I think most non-Celtics fans had a measure of empathy for Brown's situation and wanted to
see him do well.
Even if we didn't know the specifics of Brown's animus towards Tatum, it was easy to understand how an All-NBA player and finals MVP might've felt slighted by being dangled in trade talks and treated like the second fiddle. Which is why the pre-season "lamb chops and gravy" quote and cap emoji were easily dismissed as competitive banter.
When it came time for the two to meet eye-to-eye, however, and Brown couldn't even be bothered to shake Tatum's hand -- even though he dapped up several other Celtics -- it became much more obvious how personal this was to him. And once you decide to carry it like that, you better be ready to hoop. Brown wasn't up to the task.
FOCUSED: Brown explains pregame Tatum snub
To make matters worse, the player he was traded for, Paul George, scored a season-high 36 points in his return to Philadelphia. And Tatum chipped in 21 with the highlight of the game, dunking on LeBron James. They weren't nearly as bothered as Brown.
That's OK. It's fine and maybe even normal for Brown to have a certain level of emotion about an ugly split from a team and co-star he was with for so long. But if he can't channel that emotion into positive results on the floor, it's probably time to let it go. Tuesday's game was a bad look.
NFL trade deadline winners and losers
The Minnesota Vikings brought back quarterback Kirk Cousins at the deadline, and while it remains to be seen how much he actually improves their Super Bowl chances, FTW is already declaring Justin Jefferson a winner in that deal:
"Jefferson’s average production with Kirk Cousins as his quarterback: 6.5 catches, 98.3 receiving yards per game and nine touchdown catches per 17-game season.
Jefferson’s average production in 2025 and 2026: 4.8 catches, 60 yards per game and four touchdown passes per season."
TRADE GRADES: How did Vikings and Raiders do in Cousins deal?
If nothing else, it'll be nice to see productive Jefferson again.
Quick hits: Ravens mistake ... Josh Downs traded to KC ... and more
- The Ravens don't have a kicker after the Falcons took advantage of a huge roster mistake.
- Josh Downs trade grades for the Colts and Chiefs in deal for wide receiver.
- Trade grades for the Bills and Titans after Buffalo acquired safety Amani Hooker at the deadline.
- James Cook attempted to clear up a gross fan theory from Monday night's game.
- Jacob Chychrun's vicious hit on Nick Cousins was somehow legal.
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This article originally appeared on For The Win: Jaylen Brown’s play didn’t match his energy towards Jayson Tatum
