Boston Celtics All-Star Jaylen Brown knows he’s not getting any younger.
At some point, he’s going to have to develop that “old-man” game. So he’s studying from one of the best.
As he ages, Brown recently said he is trying to mimic former Celtics star Paul Pierce.
“It’s funny because he was at the game today, but before the game, I was watching some Paul Pierce footage,” Brown said “Just getting to your spots, playing at a certain pace. And today I felt like I didn’t have my normal burst, but I was still able to be effective.”
Pierce, who helped lead the Celtics to the 2008 championship, was the master at getting to his spots. While he wasn’t as athletic later in his career, he still was an effective scorer. Brown hopes to become a similar player.
“[I’m] using more of my skill, playing a little bit slower, which could sometimes be a good thing,” Brown said. “So it’s all about just figuring that out. And I’ve been using these games to kind of figure it out. And, just taking it one day at a time.”
JORDAN PROPS RODMAN
The Chicago Bulls had one of the best dynasties in sports history during their second three-peat in late 1990s.
The team featured Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, who already won titles in the early portion of the decade. They did another run during the 1995-96 season once Dennis Rodman joined the team.
The Bulls defeated the Seattle SuperSonics that year before the Utan Jazz the following season. Afterward, Jordan expressed how Rodman did not disrupt the flow despite the distractions.
“His dress didn’t bother me,” Jordan said. “His hair didn’t bother me. He’s gonna go wacko every now and then. We’d come to live with that, We’ve come to accept that.”
Rodman had various issues during that time, ranging from his tattoos, to Las Vegas trips from the team to suspension from commissioner David Stern.
Jordan said Rodman’s work ethic outweighed all those things. The Bulls still completed another three-peat with a victory over the Jazz in the 1998 Finals.
” I can’t find another player on the basketball court that works just as hard as Dennis Rodman,” Jordan said. “He gives 110 percent, dives at loose balls even if he can’t get them. That’s Dennis Rodman. I don’t have a problem with Dennis.”
Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Back In The Day Hoops On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com
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