How Tom Thibodeau helped Jaylen Brown learn from his mistakes

ByNBAUSA



BOSTON — The Boston Celtics had more time than usual to think about what went wrong during the playoffs. Just over five months ago, the Celtics’ quest to win back-to-back titles was cut short during the Eastern Conference semifinals, as they fell in six games to the New York Knicks — experienced the earliest exit from the postseason since 2021. Celtics star Jailen Brown he used the extra time off to learn from his team’s past mistakes, and to do so he enlisted some unlikely help.

Celtics coach at practice Monday afternoon Joe Mazzulla and Celtics star Jayson Tatum he could be seen talking former Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau. Although Thibodeau is a New England native and was once an assistant coach with the C’s, he was Boston’s sworn enemy in May. however, The Knicks fired Thibodeau in June despite the fact that he led them to their first Eastern Conference Finals appearance in 25 years.

With Thibodeau out of a job, he is free to share his basketball expertise with the rest of the NBA. Macula, Tatum, and especially Brown, clearly reveled in that fact.

“I thought it was great,” Brown said of Thibodeau being at practice. “Obviously (the Knicks) eliminated us last year and him being able to tell us some of the thoughts that he saw in that series, and some of the things that they broke in our personnel and even our team, helps us grow and learn from it.”

Macula has long respected Thibodeau, so it’s no surprise that he received an invitation to the Auerbach Center. Thibs’ situation is a bit unusual, though, as several coaches have been let go after helping their team win a second-round series, which was mostly no favored to prevail in.

“This was a unique position,” Brown admitted. “A guy can come in and give us direct feedback on how we can be better, I can be better. So, I appreciate that. That was great.”

Why Tom Thibodeau’s presence at Celtics practice was a unique phenomenon

Prior to the 2024-25 Knicks, the last two teams to triumph over the Celtics in the playoffs were the Golden State Warriors and Miami Heat, two perennial playoff teams that employ the same coaches years later. New York is outstanding there, and Boston wants to use that to their advantage.

“Having Thibs here in our office and explaining some of the things he saw to help them beat us just helps me get better,” Brown said.

But how has Thibodeau actually helped the C’s?

While Brown didn’t go deep into specifics, he did say the former Knick discussed film — possibly from the Eastern Conference semifinals — with the Celtics. In addition, Thibodeau talked about how he specifically planned against Tatum and Brown on defense, which could certainly be valuable information for the latter, who is about to enter his 10th year in the Association on Wednesday.

“He breaks some film and stuff like that,” Brown described. “Talking to Joe from a team perspective and like a top-down perspective about what he wanted to do with me and Jason or what he wanted to do when the ball was in my hands.

While Brown may have heard some things from Thibodeau that he may not have enjoyed since he’s still bitter about the loss to the Knicks, thoughThe 2024 NBA Finals MVP understands that learning how your opponent thinks and plans against you is key, especially when the lessons come straight from the source.

“It allows you to grow,” Brown said of Thibodeau’s teachings. “If you are humble enough to listen, it will allow you to grow.”

In addition to Thibodeau, 2025 WNBA Coach of the Year Natalie Nakase attended Celtics practice on Monday. It also wasn’t the Golden State Valkyrie captain’s first time at the Auerbach Center, highlighting Macula’s desire to bring as many basketball prospects as possible from within and out of the NBA.

When the 2025-26 campaign finally begins for Celtic Wednesday night’s home opener against the Philly 76ers, maybe Mazzula, Brown and the rest of the Green team can show what they’ve learned and, most importantly, show progress and determination in the face of an uncertain season.





2025-10-20 20:04:00

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