Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla recently addressed the constant pitting of the team’s stars, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, ahead of the NBA Finals series.
“It’s a really good question. I’m kind of praying about how deep I want to get into that, because the whole thing that really pisses me off is that it’s really unfair to both of them,” Mazzulla said, via Jared Weiss.
He expressed frustration over the fact that these two players are constantly lumped together and compared.
“They go about winning and they go about their process in a different way. So why they have to always be lumped together, I think is unfair and people just use it for their own relativity,” Mazzulla said.
Mazzulla noted that this unfair comparison is used by people to remain relevant and is not based on true knowledge of the players.
“At the end of the day, those two guys, their relationship is their relationship. They love each other, they push each other every single day in practice,” he mentioned.
He praised Tatum and Brown’s relationship, highlighting how they push each other in practice and communicate effectively.
“They communicate with each other, but they go about winning differently. I think they both get an unfair, what’s the word, being compared to each other,” he explained.
Mazzulla pointed out that other duos around the league do not face the same scrutiny, attributing the excessive comparisons to the high level of success Tatum and Brown have achieved.
“They’re different and you see other duos around the league don’t have to go through that and it’s because of the platform they have. It’s because they’ve been so successful their entire careers,” Mazzulla said.
He stated that people need these players to stay relevant but should avoid speculation and understand them as individuals first.
“They’ve been handling longstanding success at a high, high level and so people need them in order to stay relevant. They should not talk on speculation. They should get to know them as people before they talk about that,” he advised.
Mazzulla expressed his honor in coaching both players, insisting they are “two of the greatest teammates and players that you could have.”
“They’re two of the greatest teammates and players that you could have and it’s been an honor to coach both of them. It doesn’t mean they have to be the same. So it’s bullsh*t. I love both of them and they deserve better,” Mazzulla concluded.
The Celtics will face the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals, beginning on June 6.
