Jaylen Brown Rips Analytics, 'AI Hoops' After Harsh Criticism amid NBA Trade Rumors

Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown is not one to take a perceived slight lying down, so it was only a matter of time before he responded to an especially harsh assessment of his game.

Appearing on SiriusXM NBA Radio, ESPN's Bobby Marks relayed the opinion of one "analytics guy" who believes Brown is the seventh-best player on an NBA team:

Brown countered that his record speaks for itself:

Marks made it clear in his interview and reiterated the point on social media he didn't endorse the attitude of his analytically inclined source. He only included the remark to illustrate the wide variety of opinions on Brown's game:

Brown has his share of skeptics, and they've gotten louder in the two years after he was crowned 2024 Finals MVP. The old arguments are resurfacing with the Celtics losing in the second round in 2025 and getting ousted in the first round this year.

But there's no way to square how Brown could be the seventh-best player on a team. That take was so bad that ESPN's Stephen A. Smith, who's not exactly a fan of the five-time All-Star, called it "utterly ridiculous."

This all could be instructive for the next few months of discourse.

The Celtics clearly have some doubts about Brown, otherwise they wouldn't have been willing to include him in a trade offer for Giannis Antetokounmpo. ESPN's Shams Charania reported Thursday that Boston is exploring other potential avenues to flip the veteran forward.

Whether he's actually traded or not, expect to hear more debates over whether Brown is truly a No. 1 option on a championship contender or more suited for a 1B role.

And based on his initial replies, Brown isn't going to forget the "seventh-best" moniker anytime soon.