Payton Pritchard talks about missing out on Jaylen Brown's All-NBA selection originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston.
The Boston Celtics have some extra motivation heading into Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals, and it has nothing to do with what's happened in the series so far.
The league announced its 2023-24 All-NBA teams on Wednesday night, with Jayson Tatum named to the All-NBA First Team for the third straight year, while Jaylen Brown was a notable absentee. After earning All-NBA Second Team honors in the 2022-23 season, Brown ranked among players outside of the top 15 despite improving in several statistical categories and making big strides defensively this season. He received the most votes and narrowly missed out on a spot on the third team.
At least one teammate believes the result is unfair.
“JB, that was definitely some disrespect,” guard Payton Pritchard told reporters Thursday at Boston's shootaround ahead of Game 2. that.
“JB has been great all year, a two-way player, so he definitely deserves a spot.”
While Pritchard is right to defend his teammate, it raises a legitimate question about how much team success should factor into All-NBA selections. Brown's scoring average dropped by 3.6 points from 2022-23 (26.6 per game) to 2023-24 (23.0 per game), but he also averaged 3.7 fewer shots per game in a well-rounded starting five that included rookies Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday.
Brown found other ways to impact wins, whether it was improving his scoring efficiency, his playmaking ability or playing against opposing stars on the defensive end, which was a big reason the Celtics went 64-18 against every other team. But Brown's statistical sacrifices likely earned him an All-NBA nod, while the two teams that got bounced in the first round each had two players make the All-NBA team — LeBron James and Anthony Davis of the Los Angeles Lakers, and Kevin Durant and Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns.
Jaylen Brown was not selected to the All-NBA team, even though he received the most votes of any player not selected to an All-NBA team.
64 wins. He is seven games better than any other team in the league. 1 All-NBA player. 🤷🏻♂️ pic.twitter.com/Hgq0g07vk5
— Chris Forsberg (@ChrisForsberg_) May 23, 2024
The Celtics have clearly prioritized winning over individual accolades this season, and it's paid off in spades: They're three wins away from their second NBA Finals appearance in three seasons and are the favorites to win their first championship since 2008.
Other than Brad Stevens (Executive of the Year), there are no individual award winners, only one All-NBA player (Tatum) and two All-Defensive players (Derrick White and Jrue Holiday). Boston's players and staff may feel slighted. For a team with the second-best defensive rating in the league. But all those individual sacrifices will be worth it if the Celtics can finish this season with banner 18.
Game 2 between the Celtics and Indiana Pacers is scheduled for Thursday at 8:00 PM ET at TD Garden, with NBC Sports Boston's pregame coverage beginning at 7:00 PM ET. Celtics pregame live.
