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Draymond Green on Jaylen Brown ignoring Jayson Tatum: ‘That says more about you than it says about the other person’
Draymond Green said on his podcast that Jaylen Brown ignoring Jayson Tatum before Tuesday’s Celtics-76ers game “says more about you than it says about the other person,” and that it carried into Brown’s 13-point night. His advice: “Talk to that man.”
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Draymond Green did not like what he saw before tipoff in Philadelphia on Tuesday night. On his podcast, in a clip that spread on Friday, the Golden State Warriors forward said Jaylen Brown ignoring Jayson Tatum’s attempt to greet him told him more about Brown than about Tatum. “I got a ton of respect for Jaylen Brown, but I always say when things like that happen and you’re not willing to speak, that says more about you than it says about the other person,” Green said.
Green described the moment as Tatum walking up, tapping Brown on the chest and trying to say hello, while Brown did not make eye contact. He tied it to Brown’s game. “I think that’s part of the reason Jaylen Brown played bad,” Green said, “because your aura ain’t right, your juju ain’t right.”
Draymond Green on Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, from his podcast. Clip posted on X.
‘You speak to every player, but not him’
Brown was facing the Boston Celtics for the first time in a regular-season game since they traded him to the Philadelphia 76ers in July, in the deal that sent Paul George to Boston. Green said he understood why Brown might be hurt. “Number one, I know he’s upset that he got traded, you know, and feel like JT could have stopped it,” he said. “I’ve never really got off into that, when guys do that when they get traded and take it out on the player. You speak to every player, but not him. I don’t really love that.”
Green said the bar for Brown is high because of how he has carried himself. “The bar is so high on a respect level for Jaylen Brown from everybody, and he’s earned that respect,” he said. His advice was to have the conversation. “When you do that, the thing that you’re upset at is haunting you. Like, it owns you until you break out of it,” Green said. “My word to Jaylen Brown would be like, nah, man, talk to that man. Say what’s up. Because until then, that thing is going to hold you.”
What Brown and Tatum said after the game
Boston won 123-101 behind 36 points from George. Brown finished with 13 points on 4-of-9 shooting, four turnovers and four fouls in 26 minutes, and was -27. Tatum had 21 points, six rebounds and four assists. Full recap: Boston Celtics beat Philadelphia 76ers 123-101 as Paul George scores 36 in his return.
Asked afterward about the pregame moment, Brown said he was focused on doing what was best for his team. “To be honest, I wasn’t paying attention,” he said. “But credit to Jayson, he played well tonight. Credit to the Celtics.”
Brown after the loss to Boston. Video posted by Kris Rhim on X.
Brown also said the night was not an emotional one for him. “I didn’t have any emotion. I was locked in. I was focused. I was ready to go,” he said. “Foul trouble kinda took me out of my rhythm a little bit.”
Tatum did not make anything of it either. “There’s no headlines about anything like that,” he said. “I was just getting ready for the game, ready for jump ball, go out there, compete, have some fun and try to get a win.”
Tatum on the pregame moment. Video posted by Justin Turpin on X.
‘That ain’t the Jaylen Brown I’ve grown to respect’
Green said Brown’s postgame answer bothered him too, because Tatum had walked right up to him. “Even if he wasn’t paying attention, look up, you saw somebody just in front of you,” he said. “To not stand on it after the game, that just ain’t JB to me. That ain’t the Jaylen Brown that I’ve grown to respect and know.” He added: “We all have out-of-character moments. I’ve never been traded, so I’m not going to sit here and criticize him. I’m just stating what I saw.”
Brown had said before the game that he had not spoken to Tatum since media day and did not plan to. “It’s nothing to talk about,” he said. “He’s on his side, I’m on my side.” Read more: Jaylen Brown on Jayson Tatum before his first regular-season game against the Celtics: ‘It’s nothing to talk about. Check the ball up’.
Brown bounced back on Thursday with 18 points on 8-of-15 shooting, six rebounds and two steals in a 123-112 win over Toronto. Philadelphia, 10-3, hosts the Indiana Pacers on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET, which is 8 p.m. in Cairo. Boston hosts the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday. Green and the Warriors, without Stephen Curry, play at San Antonio on Friday night.
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