Boston Celtics legend Bob Cousy has heard plenty of current NBA stars question his status among the all-time greats for years. Now, the six-time NBA champion and Basketball Hall of Famer is doing the same when it comes to Celtics' star Jaylen Brown .
In an interview with the Boston Globe , the 97-year-old Celtics icon expressed his belief that Brown isn't the caliber of player who can carry the team. Instead, he believes that Boston is going to undergo a "major rebuilding effort," and Brown isn't the player who can bring this team to the "promised land."
"In my judgment, Jaylen is not quite at the superstar level that Tatum is at. 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.
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In Cousy's defense, he certainly has some idea about what it takes to win NBA titles. As a six-time champion with the Celtics, he earned 13 All-Star selections, led the NBA in assists eight times, and was named to the All-NBA First Team 10 times between 1950 and 1963.
However, Cousy's comments are also just a year removed from Brown winning the NBA Finals MVP. The four-time All-Star proved integral in ending the Celtics' championship drought. During that five-game series, Brown averaged 20.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1.6 steals while shooting 44 percent from the field. Tatum shot just 38.8 percent from the field but still averaged 22.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 7.2 assists per game.
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The real reason Boston will likely regress significantly this upcoming season is simply due to what happened this offseason. Al Horford isn't returning, and both Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday were traded off the Celtics' roster in salary dumps. As of now, Anfernee Simons , Sam Hauser , and Neemias Queta are poised to be starters for Boston next season.
The number of NBA players who could carry this Celtics roster into contention is incredibly small. It's also possible that Brown won't be as effective to start next season after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right knee in June , which has significantly impacted his offseason training.
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