Jaylen Brown: Celtics’ doubters will ‘probably be back next year’

The Boston Celtics heard all the noise throughout the 2023-24 NBA regular season and, at times, in the postseason. But after their title-clinching Game 5 victory over the Dallas Mavericks, all the chatter from critics proved to be nothing more than noise.

Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum led the way again for the Celtics in a 106-88 victory, with the former taking home the NBA Finals MVP Award. With the Larry O'Brien Trophy, the Celtics have finally silenced the critics.

But as Brown explained after the victory, he knows the doubters will be back, and it'll likely happen as early as next season.

“The doubters, they may be gone now, but they’ll be back. They’ll probably be back next year," Brown said, via NESN's Zack Cox.

For Brown, the ongoing argument was that he didn't deserve the $286 million contract extension signed before the season. He responded by receiving his second consecutive All-Star nod and posting the best shooting percentage of his career (49.9% from the field) during the regular season.

More than that, Brown was stellar during the Celtics' dominant playoff run. He averaged a career-best 24.1 points over 18 postseason games while shooting 53.2% from the field. He stepped up defensively and took on any role the team needed on any given night.

Then there's his co-star and longtime running mate, Jayson Tatum. The 2024 first-team All-NBA forward has heard the criticism from all sides. Before winning the NBA title, the argument was that he could score and put up big numbers, but his team couldn't get over the hump. Then, during a playoff run that featured just three losses for the Celtics, some said he was struggling to score, even though he averaged 6.2 assists per game or more in the two series leading up to the NBA Finals.

But it was Tatum's performance against the Mavericks that drove the final stake into ongoing criticism he faced. The former Duke star averaged 22.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game against Dallas, scoring 31 points twice in the series and dishing out double-digit assists on two occasions. In the series-clinching Game 5, Tatum flirted with a triple-double, scoring 31 points with 11 assists and eight rebounds.

Brown, Tatum and the Celtics silenced the critics, but it's hard to debate the belief that they'll be back in full force come the 2024-25 season.