Celtics icon Bob Cousy questions Jaylen Brown’s capacity to replace injured Jayson Tatum
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Boston Celtics Hall of Famer Bob Cousy doubts whether Jaylen Brown can shoulder the franchise’s burden while All-NBA forward Jayson Tatum recovers from a torn right Achilles tendon.
“In my judgment, Jaylen is not quite at the superstar level that Tatum is at,” 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.”
Tatum ruptured his Achilles in Game 4 of the 2025 Eastern Conference semifinal against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Boston dropped the series in six games.
Brown earned 2024 NBA Finals MVP honors when the Celtics defeated the Dallas Mavericks in five games to capture the franchise’s 18th championship, but Cousy remains skeptical that the wing can lead a short-handed roster.
The 95-year-old hall of famer also pointed to limited options behind Brown. “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,” he said. Cousy added that new majority owner Bill Chisholm “must be shell-shocked” after a tumultuous stretch of injuries and roster upheaval.
President of basketball operations Brad Stevens reworked the lineup this offseason, sending Jrue Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers for Anfernee Simons and dealing Kristaps Porziņģis to the Atlanta Hawks for Georges Niang. Stevens later flipped Niang to the Utah Jazz for RJ Luis Jr. and signed free agents Chris Boucher, Luka Garza and Josh Minott.
Boston also rewarded head coach Joe Mazzulla with a multi-year extension. Mazzulla owns a 182-64 regular-season record and a 33-17 postseason mark since taking over in 2022.
Source: Hoops Wire
