Boston’s fatal mistake is Jaylen Brown grasping at straws

Jailen Brown and the Boston Celtics surrendered a 17-point lead in a 119-113 loss to the Detroit Pistons to fall to 0-3 in the young regular season. Brown was listed as questionable before he played in a game in which the Celtics were held to minus-17 rebounds, including 19 offensive boards, which the Pistons turned into 30 second-chance points.

After the loss, Brown addressed himself rebound battlewhere Jalen Duren (18) and Ausar Thompson (12) combined for 30 rebounds against the Celtics.

“I don’t know, but we have to figure that out. I think a lot of our problems can only be solved on the defensive glass,” Brown said. “I’ve got to get more engaged. I’ve got to get some more rebounds. A lot of long shots lead to long jumpers, so it’s just timing. Some of the shots are just going over our heads, or some of those guys were just pushing us under. But rebounding is definitely the biggest issue for us right now.”

Brown’s 41 points on 12-of-25 shooting, including 5-of-9 from deep, six rebounds and four assists led the Celtics. He also finished 12-of-15 from the free throw line. Still, the Pistons fought back, erasing a double-digit deficit on second-chance opportunities as the momentum shifted down the stretch.

The Celtics had nearly 20 rebounds in their last two games, including a 105-95 loss to the New York Knicks, where Boston finished minus-16 on the glass. As Celtics head coach Joe Mazzula adjusts to life after Al Horford, Kristaps Porzingis and Luke Cornett, Boston will have to find a way to bounce back as a team amid the challenging transition of moving from centers to its 2024 championship team.

Neemias Cueta earned the job as Mazzulla’s full-time starting center. He is averaging 9.7 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.3 blocks from the gate. Still, he had four points and six rebounds in Sunday’s loss. Peyton Pritchard (10 rebounds) led the Celtics in rebounding. He also finished with 21 points and four assists.

Jaylen Brown remained 100% after the Celtics’ loss to the 76ers

Before losing to the Pistons, the Celtics gave up a 12-point lead in the fourth quarter of their season-opening 117-116 loss to the 76ers. Celtics All-Star Jaylen Brown knows the growing pains that come with new players integrating into a new team, but he’s looking forward to the journey to figuring it out.

“We have a bunch of new guys playing a new style. I thought we played hard today,” Brown said. “I’m looking forward to watching the film, learning and staying on the journey.”

Without All-Star Jayson Tatum, Brown will look to lead this year’s Celtics to a fruitful season.