Celtics teammates not happy about Jaylen Brown's rejection of All-NBA

BOSTON – Jaylen Brown didn't make the All-NBA or All-Defensive team this year, and his Celtics teammates aren't too happy about the double rejection.

Brown was named to the All-NBA Second Team last season, which opened the door for him to sign the most lucrative contract in league history. Although his numbers dipped slightly in the 2023-24 season due to the star-studded Boston roster, Brown had the most efficient – and overall best – season of his eight-year career.

With the additions of Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday and the continued rise of Derrick White, Brown averaged 23 points per game — down from his career-high of 26.6 points per game last season. But he shot 49.9 percent and had 3.6 assists, both career highs for Brown. He also stepped up defensively, usually going up against the opponent's best player. Brown was a big reason the Celtics had the NBA's second-best defense during the regular season.

But when it came time to hand out All-Defensive honors, Brown didn't make any of the teams. And when the All-NBA teams were announced Wednesday night, Brown was 20 points shy of making the Third Team. Instead, Steph Curry, Devin Booker, Tyrese Haliburton, LeBron James and Domatas Sabonis made the third team.

Holiday and White earned All-Defensive Second Team nominations, while Jayson Tatum was the only Celtics player to earn a spot on an All-NBA team, earning him a spot on the First Team. If you find it a bit odd that the NBA's best team, winning 64 games, had only one All-NBA player in the eyes of the league, Celtics players agree.

On Thursday, after the team's shootaround before Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Indiana Pacers, Payton Pritchard made it clear that he believes Brown was snubbed.

“JB, that was definitely a snub,” the substitute said on Thursday. “I don't understand how you can be No. 1 by a wide margin and only have one player in there. JB has been great all year. He's a two-way player. He deserves to be in there.”

Brown missed out on a $2.2 million bonus for not making the All-NBA team this season. But that wasn't the only insult in the eyes of his teammates. On Wednesday, while chatting about his All-Defensive honors, White said Brown should have made the team with him and Holiday.

“First of all, JB definitely deserves it. He's been incredible all season in taking on that challenge,” White said. “Whenever there was a big name or a big player, he wanted the challenge. He's set the tone for us all season and I think he definitely deserves it.”

Brown not making the All-Defensive team is an even bigger snub than him not making the All-NBA team. But that's nothing new for Brown, who always seems to be a supporting player in the eyes of the league, whether it's year-end honors or All-Star nominations. (At least he's made the All-Star team the last two seasons. And that huge contract probably makes him tolerate those snubs a little better.)

Winning the championship will be the ultimate prize for Brown and the Celtics. As always, Brown will just go out there and let his game speak for itself.