Young talent and future outlook

Good morning and welcome to the NBA Daily for july seventh, twenty twenty six. I'm Dave Duor who with Xena Kada and Jay King. Coming up, we're gonna do a deep dive on the Jayen Brown trade. I gotta ask Jay, what the heck happened? lot What to start? That is a very broad question and in this case, it encompasses a lot Well we're going to we'll get to that in a second. Jake King, our Boston Celtics beat rider over at the athletic. been a minute, man. you've been watching World Cup like outside of the Jalen Brown trade fallout. Yeah. so I've never really been a soccer guy per se. Yeah, but there's not really a lot of sports on. the World Cup is in the United States And so I've been watching it. United States actually seems okay at soccer this this year. And so that's pretty cool. Although I have a suspicion that Belgium's going to knock them out And we're recording this before the game. so no chance of a spoiler if you guys I'm a Belgium listening. Belgiian believer Unfortunately. Oh, interesteresting. Okay. You just a waffle fan. is what it sounds like you don't see America win, but I just there's also basketball World Cup qualifying happened right now shhout out to The Georgians, they came back from a twenty two point deficit to beat Spain as they try to get back into the World Cup. So Davave, I have a lot of respect for you for knowing that Wow that he was like, I got to represent. I know No I don't it's not just about Georgia. it's just like knowing that the World Cup and like there's always other things are happening. I'm thinking Wisledon Toko Shenalia had thirty seven points. He hit five threes, ridiculous game out of him. Legend. I love it. Legend. These guys never stop. Yeah,' amazing. So there's a lot of a lot of good sports I was watching Serena Williams play tennis Well h. It's amazing. to bounnce in the first round. That's tough Hey, sometometimes you just gott to see where you're at, you know That's fair. All right, Jay. spepeaking of, okay Where are we at with this man? Jalen Brown gets traded too the sixers for Paul George and, you know, two first Two seconds That's not very much for Jayen Brown who was just sixth in MVP vote, you know, second team all NBA. He's a finals MVP, he's a conference finals MVP this How did this happen in this way So there's there's a lot there I was the last two months in the Celtics. before the Cellders were just kind of stunning to me. And the way everything went down with Jayen Brown fromr They have a fifty six win regular season He's amazing during that his teammates point to him as like the leader, the guy who set the tone of intensity and who sort of you know, gave them belief that that they could still be great after losing half their rotation, including the injured Jason Tatum from from the championship rotation And So they they win fifty six games. They go up three one in the first round. Tatum has come back and he looks better than anybody really anticipated And then they blow a three one lead. And then there's like just small piece of drama after piece of drama with Jaylen starting from that point forward basically, His close friend Tracy McGrady came out and talked about how Jalen was frustrated with the Celtics organization And then Tam Mac walked that back and Jalen you know, said he would stay with the Celtics for ten years But it just started like from that point on, there was just like drama and weirdness and and then it all led to jail and getting traded for a package That was, I think, very surprising to people around the league that that a guy at twenty nine in the middle of his prime go for such a small price and that the Celtics would feel compelled to move him right now with three years left on his contract. I think the reasons for them doing that, there were a lot But it started with He was up for a well, it started with their last two playoff ex. they lost in the second round. they lost in the first round. And I think if you look back at D team that won the championship in twenty twenty four They had an absolutely loaded supporting cast Fer all stars everywhere. They were proven, they were experienceced They had no holes And to recreate that I think probably would have been impossible given the current CBA limitations and how much Jason Tatum and Jayen Brown were now making. And And so I think that that start That started it, right? Like How do we get They were thinking, how do we get back to a championship level If we can't together the type of team we had that allowed this Core to win it And So I think it all started from there and then you know Jalen's value around the MBA, I don't think it was as high necessarily as the general public perceived it to be after he finished sixth an MVP voting personally think like he's really good at basketball U But there are a lot of questions in today's CBA about a guy making sixty million dollars has to be worth sixty million dollars. He's got to be a top ten player. Yeah. And and I think there's a gap between where how much teams actually thought he was worth versus the contract. I don't think there's any like I know the Bobby Marks thing the front office guy who said Jalen's like seventh best. I think most People in NBA are very comfortable saying that Jalen Brown is very good at basketball Yeah and that you'd be lucky to have on your team But getet him means he's at sixty million dollars. and then how do you build a team around him Briitly That's that's where the questions and concerns came in, I think U I saw a graphic u on social media, I think's like hoop informatics or something like that. that the projected salary cap is about thirty five million dollars lower for next season than it was projected to be just like three years ago or something. So I also think that that's a big part of this is that teams don't have the same amount of money build around these guys that they that they thought they would And also' what Brred Katz wrote about when itut the second Apron bill and the whole situation with that. I wanted to ask to go back really quickly, Jay on your point of assessing Um Jallen Brown and how good he's been and particularly how good he is with the right people around him. It makes me think of Fred Kats on Slamma Jam over the weekend. And he said, I'll quote him just talking about Jallene Brown. Jallen Brown had a really, really, really good year this past year. I put him second team all in B, etcetera, etera. He continues on and he goes It's like, you know what? I actually watch this. as in Jalen Brown playing and I'm like, I think everyone is wrong. Like I think everyone's wrong. If you're just grading a guy on points, rebounds and assists, you're doing it wrong. You're just doing it wrong There are a lot of guys who are better than their numbers. There are a lot of guys who are worse than their numbers. And if you're just grading a guy on his on offs, you're definitely wrong too You're like you're all wrong And I just wanted to know what your thoughts were on Fred Katz and the way that Jayen Brown's been assessed in this time that he's been with the Celtics and then particularly how he'll be assessed for the success or non success that he finds in Philadelphia. likeike what would be his measuring stick for success in Philadelphia? Yeah, look Are there holes in his game Is it just like the spreadsheet says there are holes in the game? No, like the guy turns it over. a fair amount. He doesn't He's not the level of playmaker that a lot of guys of his caliber or have his usage rate are He can fall asleep b defensively and get beat back door and stuff like that. But at the end of the day, I don't think it's a coincidence either that the Celtics just happen to win games every year during his ten years with the team and went to the conference finals six times and reached the finals twice and won a championship. And by the way, he was finals MVP like So some of the conversation just got out of control over Jal and Brown And But like I said att the same time The the Celtics like Do they look at the numbers? Yeah, of course, every front office knows the numbers but also the people calling the decisions, calling the shots in Boston They've watched every game that Jaylen has ever played. Brad Stevens was the first head coach of Jayen Brown's NBA career. like these guys know his game. better than anybody. And The thing that surprised me the most about this whole saga though was that They clearly reached a point the Celtics did where they felt like it would not be beneficial for them to bring Jayalen back. And based on the way that they operated The urgency that they seem to have through these negotiations and The price that they accepted it just It was pretty clear that they felt like they would have a problem if they brought Jail and breread Brown back next season And I think Like at some point, I don't know exactly when that was, but At some point, maybe it was when The Celtics. had conversations about Janis Maybe it was just the overall approach they took to the offseason And I how they like it wasn't just the honest thing. like even before All the honest stuff became public. The Celtics like They were open for Jay and Brown business as I would put it. And then after the youan of stuff, they They canvased a league and looked for everything and I don't know whether it through all of that, maybe even before all that and they value Jalen differently then he valued himself. They You know, sasw They wanted him to go back to playing having a little less freedom moving forward because Jason Tatum is back and going to be healthy again But somewhere there was a A fracture and I don't think it was like anything personal. on either side Maybe from Jail inside, it did become personal because of the way the Celtics you know treated him. He did say he felt disrespected. It's obvious that like the two sides just weren't on the same page anymore and that the Celtics they weren't going to be able to get back on the same page with Jayen. and At the same time, like There's a lot of respect for the way he went about his career in Boston. He always seemed to improve. He's a gamer, like deep in the playoffs. He's a guy you can trust is never going to shy away from things He if he has a failure, like he learns from it. he bounces back from it. He never lets it keep keep him down. And so He's the type of person I would want to build a franchise around or have around. likeike just from from the standpoint of his competitive makeup And I think the Celtics valued that. But also at the end of the day, I do think there was a gap between how they saw him and how he saw himself and that that contributed to sort of the stunning way that this summer unfolded for them How do you like him in Philly I mean, how do you like that fit So I think perimeter guys I sort of love the fit Lookike, they're all They're all so athletic. and tough to stop off the balnce D I just see it just feels like there's a vision there. Um And like they can play really fast. they can get up and down the court. Jen's always wanted to play really fast. I think at times, it bothered him that the Celtics didn't play any faster than they did A! And obviously with Maxi and Edgecomb, like those guys are both going to push the pace attack and transition and then you havet be like If they can figure things out and and maximize all those guys. That's so dangerous And I think also it just helped them Paul George This is why some people thought the seldtics you know, the wrong end of the trade here Paul George has played sixty games once in the last six or seven seasons. I forget which one And Like he just hasn't been available. So I think For the seventy sixers, it will help a lot that Jalen Brown is more available And evenven if you go through You know, and beed missing time. like he often does. likeike you have three guys that that you can lean on. I think there's just There's an identity there that you can have when MBat is out that will help you get through the regular season And then if you get through the regular season and you have a better seed, you probably have a better chance at going on a deep playoff run. So I think getting seven years younger for them was really important There are a lot of reasons that this could go that this could go really well for Philadelphia. And And so yeah, I'd like it for the seventy sixers. What do you think about the depth for Philadelphia Yeah, I mean, the minutes without bead are always like What do they do? How do they survive? But now I think like I said I just think you can rely on the two young guards. And now you can rely on Jailen Brown so that you have an identity without that. So To me having four guys like that of that caliber U I I'm into what they're building in Philadelphia. I think they have a chance to be really good And I think Jailen Jalen should help them, especially J just kind of navigate the regular season All right, we're gonna take a quick break and when we're back, we're gonna talk to Jay about what's next for the Celtics Okay, so the Celtics are a much different team without Jayen Brown. This is a different team from that title team. You mentioned it. They don't have all the former all stars filling out the roster. It's a lot of young guys They don't have a lot of real size. They did sign Mitchell Robinson, but The big piece that they're adding is Paul George Does does he fit with what they're doing? Like do you see him as a as a good fit on the court? I mean, forget about the contract And forget about the health stuff, but Day one, does he just plug and play right into what they're trying to do? Yeah, look, I'll say this, I don't think that trade was necessarily primarily about Paul George. I doubt it has much to do with him atiddle war. Yeah. It wasn't like the Luca thing where The ms were like, we need to get Anthony Davis I don't think this was that. U That said, I think All the moves the Celtics made this summer should amplify what they already did well And You look at Paul George, he's a better catch and shoot shooter than Jaylen Brown You look at Mitchell Robinson Celtics finished fifth in offffensive rebound rate last year. He's arguably the greatest offensive rebounder of all time Same offensive rebound rate career wise as Dennis Rodman. And So you add him to that. they might lead the league and offensive rebounding last year. And that was a huge piece of why they finished second and in offensive efficiency last year They were incredible on the glass. Some of that. went away against Philadelphia in the playoffs, but they shored up their front court, which was a real problem in that series. And And now with Kata and and Mitchell Robinson should be able to going that offensive rebound right? That strength for them that going and then the other piece of this is like Paul George is a very different player at this stage Um then Jalin like Jalin was by the end of his tenure with the Celk super high usage And I think Paul George is more a complimentary. mentary piece at this age. He's also going to miss just a lot of time. So I think some of that usage will go to Pritchard some of that usage will go to Derek White, S some of it will go to Jason Tatum. All those guys handle the ball very well. And one of the things that Jaylen did poorly was that he could turn it over a little bit. And the Celtics like, They have always been great or they they they were great last year at winning the possession game offensively. and I think they're even stronger at that. like this team could could do an incredible job at creating more possessions than another team Does that all the do all Celtics fans want to hear that necessarily? Like Like, o, they're going to Cate a lot more posessions, sweet, bro. How about getting Jail and Brown back Um, but I think I think that's a big deal and And they should still shoot a ton of threes they The things that they did best last season while they won fifty six games, I think they're actually going to do those even better now Out of Hugo Gazaes or Nar skator Who has to make a bigger jump to make an impact on what Boston could look like next year I don't think either of them have to make necessarily a jump to make a big impact. but Like They need to prove that that can be a playoff viable Ka couldn't stop fouling in the playoff series against Philadelphia, which was basically the first real playoff action of his career And it seemed like he put him on like a backpack man. likeike he didn't have he didn't have a chance. Not too much. Okaykay to now. D, not too much. It seems like like every game he was picking up two thousandls in the first three minutes and putting at a big disadvantage. Tue And Mitchell Robinson, he's been really good in the playoffs. his offensive rebound rate I think last year was like twenty three percent which is unheard of and for that to be in the playoffs is crazy. everyverybody saw the offensive the free throw offensive rebound against Victor Wembinyama that that basically sealed that series in the finals behind Carl Towns And and playing because of that, limited minutes, a limited role what happens when you have to thoseose minutes, that playing time right And And obviously like The Kicks at the end of the day, most of the time in key situations, they were going to have Carl Towns on the court Well you know, the Celtics it might be a little different where where he's going to be relied on more. He's going to be on the court more often And and so he'll have more responsibilities from that perspective Um So I don't think it's necessarily about like taking a leap for those guys but they will have different types of responsibilities And Kato might be the same responsibilities, but he has to handle them better than he did in the first round last year has to be more disciplined and able to stay on the court M, you hit the possession battle thing and I think, you know, adding Mitchell Robinson certainly is going to age you in that. He's also one of the best offensive rebounding passers. So those kick out threes after an offensive rebound, which is basically the most efficient shot in basketball they're going to get more of those looks. The biggest concern I have though is The Hackamitch, I think it can disrupt the Celtics maybe a little bit more even than the Kicks because just they want to play fast, they want to, you know try to get stuff in Tum.' to fight back on that a little bit actually. You are o Oh that for you get to play for last The hack of Mitits part I think it might be less of a problem So he was always going to come off the bench behind towns, right Right. The Celtics can just start them. If you're playing at end the beginning of quarters, you're not just going to put them happen because's that's not a bad with the other team in the an argument. And I think if they do start him. I think that's the most obvious way turn that into less of an issue. Wh where it could become an issue is like when it When he was getting fouled late in the games and Nick to just go back to Carl Towns. Whereas the Celtics, they might actually want them on the court You know, and so he might be their best center. And so That's when it becomes an issue to me, but as far as like actually stopping people from hacking Mitchell Robinson, I think the easy answer is just playing at the start of quarters And that's you just got to worry about the closing Yeah, exactly. And then then feel comfortable with Namiakada And also that that keeps him out of foul trouble too and and allows him to to save up those fouls and be ready for more down the stretch Is there anyone that we haven't heard about or we should be keeping an eye on in terms of their young talent, in terms of any of their We recent pigs, I mean, I feel like I should not stop this year Yeah, like I feel like I have, especially with summer league My guys were at Summer League I feel like I've been kind of out of the loop just listening to NBA Daily, but keepe us up to date with a Celticss up and coming talent that we should keep an eye on. Yeah, I think their young wings are the ones who could all take steps forward. And I think number one is Ugo Gonzalez. He didn't play much in the playoffs last year Whenever he stepped on the floor, it just seemed like he was just electric. And he he picks up guys full court. He's a great defender already He can take on the toughest defensive assignments and he did that as a teenager at nineteen. He has some holes, like his shooting isn't great. But he just has a great feel for the game and a physicality, a strength and athleticism Dad that the Celtics are very high on moving forward then the other ones, I think Bayor Shireman Jordan Walsh, Ron Harper Junior. even Ron Harper Juni. He was on a two way contract for most of last season But they they just extended him Hill and they seem very confident that F and when he gets a chance. that he'll contribute and he typically did that last year. He started game seven against Philly, which was kind of a crazy move by Joe Mizoula. insane move, but also speaks to the level of confidence that they have in him And And so I think that's one reason two for them that I think adding Paul George and his lack of availability isn't as much of a concern during the regular season because they do have a super deep crop of wings. And they had guys that even guys that weren't playing many minutes at all last season like Ron Harper Junr. Like if you need to those guys into action I think when Paul George misses thirty or forty games, whatever it is this year they'll be fine during the regular season. It's the playoffs when losing Jalen Brown and his shot creation, I think is going to be become an even bigger issue because One thing Jalen did like He had some bad series, the twenty twenty three series against the heat. But if you look at the overall picture He was one of the few guys who was able to keep his efficiency from the regular season into the playoffs. and that's a really tough thing to do against top defenses and going as deep as the Celtics did So many years And so I think that his ability to just go and get a bucket against the toughest defenses will be what they miss most at the end of the day. Should we expect to go to play sumer Leag this summer I think he is playing in Summer League. Yeah He also played playing for Spain in on their national team So he's going to be pretty busy this summer. Just lost to the Georgians. which just lost to the Georgians after a h come back. I don't know. in case you guys missed that, just Oh that f circle. there shout out to Toko Shenalia. That's right. Okay, Jay, look, man, before we go Was this a huge step back or a small step back. One way or the other you you lost the best player in the deal. H they made other moves and do you believe the internal growth will'll make it so that this is not This is not a play in team next year. I think they'll be about the same as they were last year. I think Mitchell Robinson was a huge addition to their front court U They went into last year with with Luca Garza as their number two totally unproven at that time. Now you can feel comfortable in him as an endning Zater during the regular season at least and And then I think like At the end of the day, they didn't play with Jason Tatum for most of last year and oneon fifty six games Now Tatum is back And And you did add Paul George. like I actually think they're they're more talented right now than they were going into last season U you can also They're their young guys could all take a step forward And so I think there are a lot of ways to growth for them. But at the end of the day, like, do I think they're closer to championship level right now because they traded Paul George for Jalen Brown? No He heard Jalen Brown footalls are. A That said, they're hopeful that the flexibility U that they get moving forward with the picks that they added that they'll be able to build a better supporting casts and eventually allocate their resources better and hopefully build a championship team That's their hope Um But I like Like I said, I think regular season wise, difference won't be as pronounced as maybe it is in the playoffs Guys, go and read the kid Jay King over at the athletic. He'll have a big story on the Celtics and Brad Stehvens press conference after the Jalen Brown trade. That'll be up on the website today For Jay King and Xina Kada, I'm Dave Dufour and this has been the NBA Daily Thanks for waking up with us Thanks for listening. Make sure you hit the subscribe or follow button so you never miss an episode. If you enjoyed it, drop a like, leave a rating, or let us know in the comments. Thank you guys for waking up with us