Stephen A. Smith and Co. touched base on Jason Kidd’s recent remark, in which he claimed Jaylen Brown is “their (Celtics) best player”. With the franchise currently part of the most important series of the 2023-24 tournament, this may not have been the time to create friction between members of the roster by picking one of them as the “best” over the others. Josh Hart emphasized to “better not poke the bear though” and then Smith highlighted an impediment for the Celtics till now was “too much one-on-one with the threes”, with both Brown and Jayson Tatum needing to play two-man and feed off one another.

The sportscaster believes that Kidd’s comments may have been an attempt to do something different. “If you’re the Dallas Mavericks and you can get them into that type of ball playing that did play a role in them coming from a 29 Point deficit and knocking it down to eight in game one, you’re trying something,” said Smith. “Why? Because you’re worried because after you saw what you saw in game one, we got to come up with something, cuz I might not have enough to beat these boys,” Stephen A said on NBA Countdown.

Smith’s remarks come after the Mavs went 16-4 during the third quarter of Game 1, successfully bringing their 20-point deficit to 8. While the Celtics still managed to win the matchup by a score of 107-89, this sudden increase in their rival’s scoring prowess was enough to indicate that Jaylen Brown and Co. needed to be careful going forward.

While Kidd’s remark may not have had a major effect, it was still enough to bring out some of the best from Jaylen Brown. After dropping 22 points during Game 1, the player scored 21 points, 4 rebounds, and 7 assists during Game 2. This was made possible by him going 8-15 with his field goals, 1-5 with his 3-pointers, and 4-4 with his free throws. Four others delivered in the double digits, while Jrue Holiday led the scoring effort with his 26 points.

Jaylen Brown’s teammates react to their head coach’s remarks

By stating that Jaylen Brown is “their (Celtics) best player,” Jason Kidd took a shot at all other members of the Celtics roster. Therefore, fans were waiting to know whether this incident would end up dividing them. However, the Celtics players did not show any hostility. When power forward, Al Horford was informed of what the rival head coach had to say he let out a small chuckle before stating “J-Kidd, man. I see what he’s doing. I see what he’s doing.”

Jayson Tatum, who had been leading the majority of the scoring effort during the regular season, gave out a “no reaction” by acknowledging what they play is a “team sport”, and that Jaylen Brown was an integral part of that team sport. He further claimed, “People try to drive a wedge between us. It’s a smart thing to do, or try to do… We’ve been in this situation.”

At the same time, Jrue Holiday went out to state that he agreed with his head coach. He complimented Brown for being not only “aggressive” himself but also opening chances by “making plays for other people”. Furthermore, Holiday appreciated that Brown was the one who was given the responsibility of guarding Luka Doncic, the Mavericks’ highest average scorer.

What do you think were Jason Kidd’s intentions behind those remarks? Let us know in the comments below.

Before leaving, be sure to check out some insights that Shaquille O’Neal’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, shared about WNBA star rookies Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark.