Jaylen Brown thinks the Celtics met the Pistons’ physicality but that he wasn’t good enough tonight:

“We got to be better. I got to be better. I wasn’t good enough for my team.” pic.twitter.com/aXNlRyk5pL

— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) December 16, 2025

BOSTON — Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown is definitively off to the best start of his 10-year NBA career. Yet, he still doesn’t think he’s doing enough, especially after the C’s fell to the Detroit Pistons, 112-105, on Monday night at TD Garden.

Although the four-time All-Star finished with a game-high 34 points, a team-high 8 rebounds, and a team-high 7 assists (putting him within range of a triple-double), he wasn’t satisfied. Following the narrow loss to the Eastern Conference-leading Pistons, Brown took accountability despite tallying his fifth straight game of 30 points or more.

“Mentality wise, mindset wise, I needed to be more for my team, and I wasn’t tonight,” he said during his postgame presser.

Brown’s greatest shortcoming on Monday night occurred at the free throw line, a place he’s never truly excelled. The 2024 NBA Finals MVP failed to convert on 7 of his 14 attempts from the charity stripe, which contributed to Boston’s (season-high) 8 missed free throws.

“We’ve got to be better,” Brown admitted. “I’ve got to be better. I wasn’t good enough for my team tonight, so that’s on me.”

While Brown struggled according to his own high standards, the C’s still nearly managed to beat the Pistons for the second time this season. However, losing the turnover battle, getting doubled up on second-chance points, and stagnant fourth-quarter offense ultimately doomed Boston.

“Turnovers, missed free throws, missed open shots, all that little stuff adds up,” Brown emphasized.

The Celtics have now lost back-to-back games for the first time since November 3rd and are 15-11 overall. That’s still good enough for a top-five seed in the East, yet with the current tight standings, one more loss could be the difference between fourth and ninth place.

Brown understands these razor-thin margins, and he’s determined to bounce back and live up to his stringent expectations on Friday night when the Celtics face the 14-12 Miami Heat.

“Definitely a game that got away from us, that got away from me,” Brown said of the latest tussle with the Pistons. “So we’ll watch the film and get ready for the next one.”

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