“Paid The Cost For It”: Kobe Bryant’s Former Teammate Reacts to Warriors Flat Out Disrespecting Jaylen Brown

The Golden State Warriors recently suffered an 88-140 humiliation against the Boston Celtics marking its biggest defeat in franchise history. Their decision to leave Jaylen Brown wide open backfired immensely as several raised questions surrounding this defensive strategy. Lou Williams, the former teammate of Kobe Bryant, joined this narrative as he reacted to the flat-out disrespect towards the Celtics guard.

In the latest episode of ‘Run It Back‘, Williams openly mocked the tactics while displaying interest in learning the name of its suggester. The 37-year-old also expressed his shock at the seeming agreeableness of the entire roster towards this recommendation. Following this, the sports analyst also shed light on the Warriors’ thought process while addressing the pitfalls of the strategy.

“He is a guy known to attack the paint. But to just leave him open and say he can’t make open shots is flat-out disrespectful, and they paid the cost for it…This has never been an emo of Jaylen Brown’s that he can’t shoot and he is not a knockdown shooter and he can’t make open shots,” he declared.

“To just leave [Jaylen Brown] open and say he can’t make open shots, is flat out disrespectful, and they paid the cost for it.”@TeamLou23 reacts to the Warriors interesting defensive strategy.

: https://t.co/oxMs3CAEGu pic.twitter.com/Onz7B3RhHZ

— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) March 4, 2024

These straightforward comments carry a certain volume as Brown acted as a catalyst in sparking the one-sided dominance of the Celtics. The 27-year-old scored 19 of his 29 game points in the first quarter while aiding his franchise to secure a 44-point lead in the first half.

Averaging 22.5 points on 50.2% FG and 35.2% 3-pointers, this season, JB certainly can not be underestimated. Being a constant starter of a squad that has the best win-loss record in the league, currently, the strategy from the Warriors HC seemed off. Post-game, Brown even hilariously addressed this strategy.

What did Jaylen Brown and the Golden State Warriors say after the game?

Despite the outcome, the Warriors’ head coach Steve Kerr defended their strategy by emphasizing the importance of picking matchups. The comments caught the eyes of Brown as he later showcased his belief on X (formerly Twitter). “More teams should take this strategy,” the 3x All-Star mentioned with an underlying tone of mockery.

More teams should take this strategy https://t.co/P8fDaSBZSy

— Jaylen Brown (@FCHWPO) March 4, 2024

In a post-match interview, Draymond Green further elaborated on the team’s head coach’s statement. Pointing out the impulsivity behind the strategy, the 4x champion told ‘The Athletic’s Anthony Slater, “We implemented the strategy like 15 minutes before we left the locker room. So, I don’t necessarily think we put together a full defensive strategy to debate on what they’re doing with their offense and how to stop it”.

Draymond Green said the Warriors implemented the strategy to sag off Jaylen Brown “like 15 minutes before we left the locker room.”

“I thought it was fun to try. I was actually all for it.”

“It didn’t work. Oh well. We move on.” pic.twitter.com/SVuwRkCGCH

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) March 3, 2024

Hence, the franchise took a leap of faith in TD Garden resulting in immense humiliation. This defeat serves as a major setback in the process of securing a postseason run as they linger at the 9th spot on the Western Conference table. The chances for a playoff qualification remain slim for them at this stage yet the fans hope for a remarkable turnaround.