Jaylen Brown 'Not Losing Sleep' Over All-Star Snub
BOSTON (CBS) -- While the rest of the Celtics are getting ready for a nice break, Jayson Tatum is getting ready to head to Cleveland for the NBA's All-Star festivities. His Celtics teammate, Jaylen Brown, has made it abundantly clear that he believes he should be making that trip as well.
But Brown was not named an All-Star, a snub that continues to rub him the wrong way with the NBA's big weekend approaching. Brown is certainly putting up All-Star worthy numbers in Boston, but an early season injury and the Eastern Conference's deep talent pool worked against the 25-year-old's cause of making the roster for a second straight season.
Brown insists that he isn't bothered by this snub. He is, after all, used to it when it comes to getting the recognition he deserves, whether it's an All-Star spot or All NBA recognition.
"I'm not losing no sleep over it. My ability on both sides of the ball speaks for itself," Brown said following Wednesday's loss to the Pistons -- Boston's final game before the break.
"I'm not going to knock those other guys. Congratulations to them. But I think it's situational, to be honest," he added. "A lot of things go into it that maybe we don't know about right now. For me, JT will hold it down for the both of us."
Brown has averaged 23.7 points off 46 percent shooting over his 46 games this season. He's been even better since the calendar flipped to 2022, with six games of 30 or more points, including a 50-point explosion in a win over Orlando. But still, as Brown played well and the Celtics piled up wins, the NBA passed him over as an injury replacement -- twice. First it was LaMelo Ball taking Kevin Durant's spot, followed by Jarrett Allen getting the nod in place of the injured James Harden.
Brown isn't going to take away from either of those players, since both are also enjoying All-Star seasons. He understands it's a number crunch, but still, he strongly believes that he should be joining Tatum in Cleveland.
"I feel I deserve it, but it is what it is. It's life," he said. "It ain't gonna stop me. It ain't gonna stop my work ethic, it ain't gonna stop my platform. In reality, it's not that important. I look forward to the second half of the season, doing what we do best."
Brown said he'll be using his All-Star break to recharge both physically and mentally, with his focus on a big finish to the season.