Matt Esposito discusses Jaylen Brown’s ascension as well as the Boston Celtics’ chances at winning a title. That and more on the newest HAA pod.
The Boston Celtics are set up for the future. Despite the loss of All-NBA guard Kyrie Irving, Danny Ainge and Brad Stevens have crafted a perennial contender in the Eastern Conference.
Matt Esposito, site-director for The Playgrounder, and contributor for the Sports Daily affiliate Red’s Army joined the Hoops Addicts guys, Geoff Campbell and Chip Murphy, to discuss the Celtics’ franchise season overview and offseason outlook.
For Esposito, his confidence in Ainge is high, especially when it comes to taking the Celtics to the next level. Despite Ainge’s reluctance in pulling the trigger on deals to bring in players like Jimmy Butler and Paul George, Ainge’s long-term plan for sustained success is still preferred.
Overall Esposito still would have signed on for a year rental of Kawhi Leonard or a player of that caliber, but nevertheless, Matt appreciates Ainge sticking to his guns and a philosophy that has yielded positive results.
“Danny Ainge has a very different perspective, in that, he is general manager, who was a player, but as a player, he had sustained success…most general managers, if they have a chance to land Jimmy Butler, a Paul George, there were even Kawhi Leonard rumors, they’re not gonna hesitate…Danny Ainge held off on that because he wanted something, a championship run that could last five or six seasons.”
Moving forward, Jaylen Brown was a major topic of discussion. Referencing Esposito’s film study on the fourth-year player out of the University of California, Geoff brought up Brown’s increased shooting percentages and increased percentages of made shots that were unassisted. While Esposito agreed that Irving’s departure, was, in part, a reason for the improvement, he gave credit to Brown for taking what the defense gave him.
“On the court, it was not a great fit…watch the Christmas Day game versus Toronto. He is just creating for himself in the mid-range, and it’s very, very special to watch…the man just worked on his skills, and he gets to a spot on the court that a lot of defenses are giving, and he just made them this year.”
For any hoops fan looking for a deep dive into the Celtics’ success, this a great discussion, and Matt clearly knows his stuff. Don’t forget to hit the subscribe button to the Hoops Addicts Anonymous podcast.
