How Jaylen Brown turbocharged the Boston Celtics back to title contention - ESPN

FRIENDS AND FAMILY were calling him. Teammates were checking in with texts and messages. He knew everyone meant well, but he didn't want their help. Their pick-me-ups. Their empathy.

All Jaylen Brown wanted was space.

Three weeks earlier, the Celtics' swingman had undergone surgery to repair a torn meniscus — and he was alone in his house in Boston.

«One of my toxic traits is that I have a hard time letting people see me weak,» Brown told ESPN.

On the court, Brown was facing a season of unknowns. Three starters from the Celtics' 2024 championship team had left — Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis had been traded in financially motivated deals, and Al Horford had been left unsigned in free agency. Longtime teammate Jayson Tatum had collapsed in the middle of Madison Square Garden after rupturing his Achilles' tendon in the second round of the playoffs.

Now Brown was alone, with only his thoughts.

Alone with the doubts that had seeped into his mind and stayed there. How could he be the Finals MVP and not selected to the Olympic team? Why was he always the one in trade rumors for a «superstar»? Why was there even a question about his All-NBA team status each year? Why was everyone talking about this being a gap year without Tatum?

«I was questioning everything,» he said. «Mentally, am I going to be the same? Is my athleticism going to be the same? Am I going to be able to lead this group?»

Brown had studied and practiced meditation for years. He'd used martial arts and oxygen deprivation training to build the mental tools to deal with moments such as these.

But this was real, not a training exercise, and both his legacy and the Celtics' future were on the line.

«I feel like when my back is against the wall and the world is