The Boston Celtics are only one win away from being the 2024 NBA Champions. Having won three games in a row, many people believed they would win the trophy in Game 4. However, now the Mavericks have forced a Game 5 in Boston following a huge win. One of the key factors behind this dominance shown by the Celtics is Jaylen Brown. In the wake of his brilliant postseason run, an old clip of him talking about his idol, Tracy McGrady has resurfaced on the internet.
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Brown made his first appearance on All The Smoke podcast in 2019 where he talked about the NBA veterans he looked up to. Around that time, he was seen practicing with T-Mac and Matt Barnes brought up that topic to ask him if he modeled his game after the seven-time All-Star. Brown said, “T-Mac was it. Loved his game, his crossover, his step back, the head fake, the shot fake, everything.”
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The Celtics star said that he often imitated his game. He said that every kid who loves the sport has pretended to be like their hero for a while, for him, “It was always T-Mac.”. Other than the 45-year-old, Brown also looked up to Kobe Bryant for inspiration. Another NBA legend that he named on his list of idols was Dwyane Wade.
To put the effect of practicing with T-Mac into perspective, before 2019, Brown was averaging 10.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game with a 46.1 FG%. After 2019, Brown’s game elevated to him averaging 23.7 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists with his FG% going up to 48.6.
Barnes said that his Celtics teammate Jayson Tatum is a lifelong Kobe fan and Brown is a T-Mac fan, that combination is bound to breed greatness. And just four years on, Tatum and Brown have taken their team into the NBA Finals for the second time giving them a 3-1 lead over the strongest team in the west. Apart from Brown’s idols, there is another NBA legend who has been a mentor for him for a very long time.
Isiah Thomas guided Jaylen Brown to the Boston Celtics
When Isiah Thomas was playing for the Detroit Pistons, the Celtics were one of his arch nemeses. However, following his retirement, he took up the role of an elderly statesman in the league who knows and understands the game better than most people. Zeke had his eyes on Brown ahead of his draft class in 2016, but he was seen as a 15th-overall pick. That is when the Pistons legend stepped in to change his life.
During his conversation on Celtics All Access last year, he said, “Remember they were saying he couldn’t shoot, he couldn’t do all this. I called up Danny and I said, this guy is a Celtic.” Even though Danny Ainge was hesitant initially because of what he heard from his scouts, Zeke convinced him to use their third overall pick to get Brown. The former director general acted on his advice and eight years later, Brown is playing in his second NBA Finals, with a higher chance of winning the title this year.
