Kyrie Irving, Marcus Smart and Marcus Morris have all said harsh things about the Celtics.
Now, Jaylen Brown is taking his turn.
Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe:Brown said the environment with the team hasn’t been positive and needs to change.
“To be honest, I’m not feeling good at all,” Brown said. “The losing, it’s not a good feeling. I’m not too good about that.
“Because right now it’s not good. It’s toxic. I can’t really point out one thing. I don’t have all the answers. I’m just going to try to be part of the change. I’m going to try to do my best. That’s all I’ve got to say.”
Boston has the NBA’s 10th-best record (38-26) and third-best net rating (+5.0). They haven’t met expectations, but it’s not as if the Celtics are bad.
So, it seems telling players keep dwelling on chemistry. Their internal issues must be really bad.
Does it stem from Irving – his leadership, impending free agency and general attitude? Is the problem Gordon Hayward getting force-fed as he returns from major injury? Are young players like Brown, Jayson Tatum and Terry Rozier sulking after getting relegated to smaller roles despite leading injury-ravaged Boston to last year’s Eastern Conference finals?
Probably some of each and more.
The good news for the Celtics: They’re still quite talented. There is still time to figure this out.
But the more they keep saying how troubled they are, the more it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. It seems so many players in Boston are convinced this team is broken. If they believe that, whether or not their perception is accurate, that’s problematic in itself.
And maybe their perception is just accurate.