Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd has reflected on a comment he made during last year’s NBA finals, when he said that Jaylen Brown was better than Jayson Tatum.
Jason Kidd Addresses Finals Comment
The Dallas Mavericks were overwhelmed by Boston’s power in the NBA Finals last year and during the series, Jason Kidd made a comment suggesting that Jaylen Brown is the best player on the Celtics.
While Brown is currently one of the best players in the league, Jayson Tatum has been widely regarded as the number one option in Boston throughout his career.
This week Kidd reflected on his comments during the Finals, saying that Brown – who was later crowned as Finals MVP – was the best player in Boston during the playoffs.
“He was playing the best I think at the time. Some took it as I was trying to start something. But he had just won the Eastern Conference MVP, and then he ended up winning MVP of the Finals, so I don’t know if I was wrong.”
There has certainly been no love lost between Brown and Kidd following the Dallas coach’s comments, with the pair launching a national nonprofit initiative this week.
Jason Kidd and Jaylen Brown have announced the launch of The XChange, a national nonprofit initiative to bridge the racial wealth gap in Oakland, California pic.twitter.com/pcxMcGKKLW
— Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod 🇸🇴 (@big_business_) August 10, 2024
Kidd continued: “But as we know, the media sometimes can take it as I was trying to start something between Jayson and Jaylen, but it wasn’t that. I was just making the comment that Jaylen is playing at a high level. So it wasn’t that I was starting anything.”
There was controversy this summer surrounding Tatum’s selection to the USA Olympics team, with Conference and Finals MVP Brown left at home in place of his teammate.
Tatum averaged 26.9 points per game during the regular season last year, along with 8.1 rebounds and 4.9 assists in what was another consistent season for the first time championship winner.
During the playoffs though it was Brown who took charge in Boston, with the 27-year-old averaging 37.2 minutes per game in the post-season – recording 23.9 points per game.
Tatum still finished the playoffs with a higher points average of 25.0 off slightly more minutes, but Brown’s offence as well as his defence exploded into life during the most important times for Boston which is why he was crowned MVP.
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