Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics warms up before Game Five of the First Round of the NBA Eastern Conference Playoff.
Getty
Retired NBA All-Star DeMarcus Cousins has ripped Jayson Tatum for how he allegedly handled Jaylen Brown’s departure from the Boston Celtics.
The two Jays enjoyed notable success in Boston, reaching two NBA Finals, five Eastern Conference Finals and winning one championship in their nine seasons together. Brown was moved to the Philadelphia 76ers this offseason after he reportedly expressed unhappiness about being offered to the Milwaukee Bucks for Giannis Antetokounmpo.
When the Celtics lost the Antetokounmpo sweepstakes to the Miami Heat, they avoided a potentially untenable situation by moving Brown elsewhere, breaking up the two Jays.
Celtics, Jayson Tatum Blasted
Cousins believes the Celtics felt threatened by Brown’s outspoken ways and moved him before things could have gone south.
“I do think this was more of a personal attack on who Jaylen Brown is as a person,” Cousins said of how the Celtics moved on from Brown [H/T Fadeaway World].
“How he holds himself, the level of confidence that he walks around with, the level of IQ he walks around with, and just being a proud Black man, you know what I mean? And that’s intimidating in a lot of people’s eyes, especially in this business.”
Cousins singled out Tatum, insisting that the 6-time All-Star should have stepped in and mended fences with Brown.
“Being a good teammate and being a good worker for the organization usually consists of shutting your damn mouth and doing whatever you’re told to do.
“So, you take what you want from that. But I just expected a lot more support, you know, just throughout this process from Tatum, you know,” Cousins stressed.
Celtics Enter New Era
Cousins further criticized Tatum for not speaking up on behalf of Brown after the latter was subject to media vitriol, notably from ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith.
“Like, you can only be a good teammate when he makes a shot and you go over there fake clapping. No. When I’m f—ed up and I’m at my lowest, that’s when I want you to show me you’re a good teammate or you really got my back,” Cousins stressed.
Jayson Tatum and the Celtics will get a chance to prove Cousins and other naysayers wrong in the 2026-27 season. Besides swapping Jaylen Brown with Paul George, they bolstered the roster with the additions of Mitchell Robinson and Mike Conley.
The Ringer has the Celtics as the fourth-best team in the NBA entering the new season, raking them above the likes of the Sixers, Raptors and last year’s top-seeded Pistons.
“Assuming Jayson Tatum is back to his All-NBA self (not a given, but fair enough to presume), the 28-year-old’s presence should offset Jaylen Brown’s departure on a team that essentially replaced him with Paul George, Mitchell Robinson, and the great Mike Conley Jr.,” Michael Pina wrote.
“Defense, depth, athleticism, and lots and lots and lots of outside shooting are winning ingredients, all belonging to a group that happens to also be too disciplined to ever deviate beyond the periphery of their head coach’s pragmatic vision. Teams that want to beat the Celtics must do so knowing they will almost never beat themselves.”
The Celtics open their new season on the road against the Pistons on Oct. 20.
Enter Heavy's 2026 Pro Football Pick'em contest
Sai Mohan covers the NBA for Heavy.com. Based in Portugal, Sai is a seasoned sportswriter with nearly two decades of publishing experience, including bylines at Yardbarker, FanSided's Hoops Habit and more. More about Sai Mohan
0 Comments