Boston Celtics, NBA Icon Bob Cousy Doesn’t Think Jaylen Brown Is ‘at the Superstar Level That Jayson Tatum Is at’

Boston Celtics icon Bob Cousy, a six-time NBA champion, doesn’t think Jaylen Brown is “at the superstar level that Jayson Tatum is at.”

Cousy believes the Celtics will struggle next season without Tatum, who is recovering from a torn right Achilles tendon. 

“In my judgment, Jaylen is not quite at the superstar level that Tatum is at,” Bob Cousy told The Boston Globe. “Can he carry the load by himself? I see a major rebuilding effort here. Jaylen certainly won’t bring them to the promised land.

“[Derrick] White’s a good player and he’ll produce and he’ll be consistent, but his game doesn’t lend itself to carrying a team. This poor new owner [Bill Chisholm] must be shell-shocked. The minute he signed on the dotted line, the poop started to hit the fan. Everything that could go wrong for that franchise pretty much did. I hope he’s not having buyer’s remorse. I think he’s snakebit.”

The Celtics won the 2024 championship against the Dallas Mavericks in five games, with Jaylen Brown winning the Finals MVP Award.

Boston lost to the New York Knicks in the second round of the 2025 playoffs in six games. Jayson Tatum tore his right Achilles tendon in Game 4 at Madison Square Garden. He’s expected to miss all of next season.

Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens was very busy this offseason. He traded Jrue Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers for Anfernee Simons and Kristaps Porziņģis to the Atlanta Hawks for Georges Niang.

Stevens then traded Niang to the Utah Jazz for RJ Luis Jr. He also signed Chris Boucher, Luka Garza and Josh Minott.

The Celtics, who have the most championships (18) in NBA history, signed head coach Joe Mazzulla to a multi-year contract extension this offseason. Mazzulla is 182-64 in the regular season and 33-17 in the playoffs with Boston.

“We are very excited that Joe has agreed to extend with the Celtics,” Stevens said. “He understands the job and has a passion for the Celtics that is only rivaled by our most die-hard fans. He’s worked hard and accomplished amazing things in his first three years as a head coach – including averaging over 60 wins per season and winning the 2024 NBA Championship. 

“Joe is a gifted leader who brings a consistent commitment to learning, improving, and maximizing each day we get to compete for the Boston Celtics.”