Even with Jaylen Brown delivering an MVP-caliber season for the Boston Celtics , team executives thought he didn't play nearly as well as one crucial star.
The Boston Celtics and Jaylen Brown 's relationship deteriorated in rapid fashion. What once felt like a partnership made in heaven just a few years ago ended in a disaster.
With Jayson Tatum sidelined for much of the season, Brown delivered an excellent season and helped the Celtics secure the second seed in the Eastern Conference. But that wasn't impressive enough for the Celtics.
Photo by Danielle Parhizkaran/The Boston Globe via Getty Images
Speaking on The Hoop Collective podcast, NBA insider Brian Windhorst revealed that there were many within the Celtics organization that refused to give Jaylen Brown the credit for their strong season.
In fact, there were those within the Celtics organization who said Jaylen Brown wasn't the best player for the Celtics last season. Rather, they felt Derrick White had the best season.
"I just know that the Celtics felt that even though Jaylen Brown was talking about himself for MVP, the Celtics did not feel like Jaylen had the best season on their team.
"I don't mean Jayson Tatum. They felt that Derrick White had a better season. The statistics that people use to analyze said that."
Derrick White averaged 16.5 points, 5.4 assists, and 4.4 rebounds, but shot below 40% from the field and from beyond the arc.
Compared to Brown, who averaged 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.1 assists, while shooting 47% from the field and nearly 35% beyond the arc, it's hard to see why members within the Celtics preferred Derrick White's performance.
Now that he is away from the Boston Celtics, Jaylen Brown is going to get his chance to prove to the organization that they made a mistake letting him go.
Brown is joining a 76ers team that is full of talent and has experienced All-Star caliber players like Joel Embiid , along with young stars like VJ Edgecombe .
Now that he has a championship roster around him once again, he could help the 76ers finally make it to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in two decades.
And if he can lead the 76ers to an NBA championship while playing at an MVP caliber, he will show that the Celtics needed him more than he needed the Celtics.
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