Jaylen Brown Admits He ‘Couldn’t Stand’ Marcus Smart When He Joined Celtics

Jaylen Brown admits that he never saw the rumors circulating on social media that because he didn’t post about Marcus Smart being dealt to the Memphis Grizzlies, he must not have liked him.

The Celtics’ guard said he couldn’t wait to catch up with Smart when Boston takes on Memphis at FedExForum on Sunday night but admitted to a rocky start when he first arrived with the organization in 2016.

“I couldn’t stand Marcus at first,” Brown, with a huge grin on his face, told reporters after the Celtics’ shootaround, per team-provided video. “That just goes to show … I love him now. Sometimes you just grow and mature. As young men, you learn things about people. You learn why people are the way they are. Stuff that goes on behind closed doors.”

Brown added that he sees people not getting to know each other and not understanding what the other is going through and that’s why people are at odds with each other. Something he was glad to change with Smart.

“Me and Marcus, we didn’t start off great,” Brown laughed. “I wasn’t the biggest fan of Marcus when I first got to Boston. A plethora of reasons … you name it. Over time I realized that me and Marcus have similar spirits and like if I was going to war with anybody, Marcus would be one of my first phone calls.”

The 27-year-old admitted even if he saw the rumors on social media, he probably wouldn’t have responded anyway.

“It’s just the era we live in,” Brown said. “People present their opinions and they make it seem like evidence for whatever agenda they want to push. I don’t need to respond to that or anything. I know what my relationship was with people.”

Brown added: “Marcus is a great person. I’ve watched him grow and mature over the years. He’s watched me grow and mature over the years and that’s part of what life is. It’s just growth.”

Brown wasn’t the only former teammate of Smart’s that found him difficult when they first met. Jayson Tatum echoed the sentiment.

“You got to learn to love Smart,” Tatum told reporters, per team-provided video. “(He’s a) different guy, but at his core he means well. You spend enough time with him … you’ll learn to see that.”

The Celtics and Grizzlies matchup against each other at FedExForum on Sunday night, but Smart will not be in the lineup due to a left ankle injury he suffered Tuesday night in an In-Season Tournament against the Los Angeles Lakers. The reunion will have to wait until Feb. 4 when Memphis travels to Boston for a matchup at TD Garden.