Jaylen Brown may be an NBA Finals MVP today, but his future with the Boston Celtics once looked far from secure. During the chaotic 2018–19 season, Brown’s role suddenly shrank amid the team’s efforts to reestablish a hierarchy around returning stars Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward, a situation Brown later described as “political.”

In his recent appearance on the “Cousins with Vince Carter & Tracy McGrady” podcast, he revealed that he was close to handing in a trade request. “I have been feeling like a scapegoat at times, where when things go wrong, it’s been you know, my fault, etc,” Brown revealed.

“So, learning how to handle adversity is key. And as a young person, I went through some ups and downs where, even through the organization, I had all this notoriety, all this potential, etc. And you know, I get moved to the bench for the first time because we got Kyrie (Irving) coming back, and we got Gordon (Hayward) coming back.

So they, you know, politically I had to make decisions or whatever the case may be. So some of that stuff kind of shaped my mindset to where I am now. So I don’t look back on it and complain about it. I think it was actually God kind of helping me prepare for what I feel like my reality is now and how you handle yourself.”

Although being the third overall pick in 2016, Brown wasn’t allowed to hit the ground running for the Celtics. He was rather forced to get accustomed to the league as the Cs already had players like Isaiah Thomas, Al Horford and Marcus Smart.

In the second season, things improved drastically, and Brown made a statement. He averaged 14.5 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.0 steals a game to help the Celtics make a deep postseason run. Just when he expected the third season to be even more promising.

Then Celtics head coach Brad Steven relegated him to a more bench role as he wanted to give more priority to Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward, who returned after suffering a leg injury.

It was during this period that Brown began to doubt whether Boston was the destination where he wanted to continue to grow. He admitted he considered leaving the team, but Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady played a major role in restoring parity and convincing him to stay in Boston.

Jaylen Brown reveals Tracy McGrady’s advice helped him remain with the Boston Celtics

The Celtics were in a unique situation in the 2018-19 season. They had recently made a deep playoff run to the Conference Finals without Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward.

Now that they were back, the power shift in the team changed drastically, and Jaylen Brown was affected the most. He was instantly relegated to the bench role to accommodate the superstars back then.

With this decision, the current five-time All-Star considered moving on and was close to requesting a trade until Tracy McGrady convinced him to stick through the tough phase.

Eventually, everything worked out well for Brown, as he won the NBA title and also earned Finals MVP honors.

“Right around that time, after that season that we lost in the second round to the Bucks. I came right after that to Houston to get some work in. And I’m so grateful for that time and I’m grateful to this day for you opening up your crib to me and just coming to be able to kick it with the fam and just ask questions and get some good advice about how I should look at the next couple years and how I should think about and where my mind should be at the time.

And you told me the potential that I have and what I needed to do if I needed to make it work, and I followed those instructions to achieve, and fast forward, I became an NBA champion,” the 29-year-old wing said, thanking TMac.

The NBA has always been a league defined by rapid change, where roles and narratives can shift almost overnight. What once seemed unlikely can quickly become reality. A few years ago, the player who had been pushed into a bench role is now the driving force behind the Boston Celtics in the 2025–26 season.

Even with one of their star players, Tatum, only recently returning to action a couple of games ago, Brown has stepped forward as the team’s leader.

That rise has been fueled by what is arguably the best season of his career. Brown is enjoying a remarkable year in the NBA, averaging 28.3 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game while helping lift the Celtics to the second-best record in the Eastern Conference.

His production has not only stabilized the team during a challenging stretch but has also elevated their standing among the conference’s elite.

Given that impact, it is no surprise that Brown has firmly entered the MVP conversation. His name is being mentioned alongside standout performers such as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Cade Cunningham, and Nikola Jokic.

While the award will ultimately go to only one player, Brown’s contributions this season are difficult to overlook.

More importantly, his influence goes beyond individual recognition. Brown played a crucial role in keeping the Celtics competitive throughout the season, ensuring they remained on track for the playoffs despite adversity.

In doing so, he helped guide the team to the second spot in the East. Now, with Tatum returning to action just before the postseason, the Celtics appear well-positioned for a deep playoff run.

If their current form continues, they will undoubtedly enter the playoffs as one of the strongest contenders for the championship.