{"id":577528,"date":"2026-02-02T15:24:16","date_gmt":"2026-02-02T15:24:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/577528\/"},"modified":"2026-02-02T15:24:16","modified_gmt":"2026-02-02T15:24:16","slug":"celtics-joe-mazzulla-defends-unpopular-jaylen-brown-decision-vs-kings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/577528\/","title":{"rendered":"Celtics’ Joe Mazzulla Defends Unpopular Jaylen Brown Decision Vs. Kings"},"content":{"rendered":"

With Jayson Tatum sidelined by an Achilles injury, Jaylen Brown has put the Boston Celtics on his back this season. He\u2019s carried a heavy load for them, performing at an MVP level<\/a> on both ends of the floor as one of the league\u2019s best two-way players.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s also played nearly every game, suiting up for 45 of the Celtics\u2019 49 games. Meanwhile, his 34.3 minutes per game are tied for the third-most of his career.<\/p>\n

Joe Mazzulla\u2019s had a hard time keeping his best player off the court, but he\u2019s managed to find a few rest days for him recently. After playing Boston\u2019s first 21 games, Brown missed two in December and two in January.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately for Celtics fans, Brown\u2019s most recent maintenance day fell on his bobblehead night<\/a> against the Sacramento Kings last Friday. The Kings are one of the worst teams in the league, so it was a good night for him to take off.<\/p>\n

While Boston fans weren\u2019t happy to see the 2024 NBA Finals MVP in street clothes, Mazzulla defended his decision to the media.<\/p>\n

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Joe Mazzulla on the value of playing well without Jaylen Brown:<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s important that he gets the rest that he needs\u2026 I always like when some of those guys sit because they get to see the game from a different perspective.\u201d
\u2013@CLNSMedia<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/Dtg7HwPFYg<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Celtics on CLNS (@CelticsCLNS) January 31, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s good. It\u2019s important that he gets the rest that he needs, and it\u2019s important that we continue to develop and grow as a team,\u201d Mazzulla told reporters<\/a>. \u201cMultiple things come out of that. I always like when some of those guys sit because they get to see the game from a different perspective\u2026and it builds affirmation in the guys that we have. Regardless of who\u2019s in, who\u2019s out, the expectation is to win, and I think that\u2019s something we\u2019ve been really good at over the few years here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mazzulla makes several good points there. The NBA is a long season, and Brown\u2019s not a kid anymore. The Celtics need to preserve him and keep him relatively fresh for the playoffs, especially if Tatum doesn\u2019t return<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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He\u2019s also right that Boston needs to learn how to play and win without him. He can\u2019t be on the court all the time, even when he does play, so his teammates need to find other ways to score and not become too reliant on him.<\/p>\n

The Celtics have been good at that this year, going 3-1 with a plus-19.5 average point differential without him. Their only loss was a controversial two-point defeat<\/a> against the Indiana Pacers a few weeks ago where the referees missed an illegal screen call at the end of the game, so Boston\u2019s been okay.<\/p>\n

Sure enough, the Celtics dominated the Kings<\/a> without him, winning by 19. Their fans may have missed Brown, but at least they still got to see a win.<\/p>\n

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