Jaylen Brown on the Celtics in the Finals: “No question about it.”

Jaylen Brown was the latest guest on the Pull Up Pod with Portland Trail Blazers guard CJ McCollum and Yahoo Sports’ Jordan Schultz. The Boston Celtics wing discussed a wide range of topics on the show, including his experience going into the draft without an agent, his offseason travels, and the upcoming season in Boston.

The quote that stuck out from the rest of the episode came when McCollum asked Brown if he thought the Celtics would be making the NBA Finals this coming season. Brown responded confidently, “Oh we’re getting to the Finals. No question about it.” He went on to talk about the mindset that LeBron James had a stranglehold on the Eastern Conference, but highlighted Boston’s mindset of not letting him beat them again (had he stayed in the East).

Here are some other highlights from Brown’s Pull Up Pod appearance:

• McCollum and Schultz first discussed Brown’s reputation heading into the 2016 NBA Draft. The Cal product didn’t hire an agent and had some people saying that he was essentially too smart for his own good. Brown cited an ESPN article that said “(Jaylen) was too smart, arrogant, and that he thought he knew everything. ... it said (he) should just be focused on basketball.” The trio went on to speak about athletes negotiating for themselves and how each player’s situation is different.
• Brown gave a “big salute” to LeBron James’ I Promise School. “That’s something that I always imagined myself doing. I’m happy he beat me to it. That was absolutely fantastic.”
• In response to a recent Action Network article about the Gilbert Arenas / Javaris Crittenton, McCollum and Brown shared their thoughts about the current gambling culture in the NBA. Brown said that it hasn’t been an issue since he’s been in Boston, but he feels it is a problem across the league. He said that some of J.J. Hickson’s struggles definitely spurred from his involvement in playing booray on road trips (Hickson is now in prison). McCollum said that Portland doesn’t really have any gamblers in their locker room, but agreed with Brown that it is a problem for many NBA players. This interesting discussion begins just after the 13-minute mark of the podcast.
• Brown plays Fifa and not NBA 2K, but said as soon as the 2K ratings came out, Kyrie called him and asked how he felt. “I was like Kyrie, I do not give a f**k about no 2K rating. (Kyrie) was like ‘They played you, bro’ (laughs).” He said he’s definitely not losing any sleep over video game ratings.
• Brown talked about his love of travel, which was highlighted this offseason through his social media. He said that he continues to work out in every location, even if he doesn’t post it. Throughout all of his travels, Brown said that Paris was his favorite. He added that he’s always been a fan of martial arts, so it was only right for him to take part in some in his visit to Indonesia.
• In addition to his comments on the Celtics making the Finals, Brown said that it doesn’t matter if they’re the favorite in the East, they still have to go out and play. “We have a lot of talent on this team. We have some real good mindsets and it’s a pleasure playing with them all, but we have to be on one page if we want to be successful.” He went on to say that practices will be very competitive and a lot of fun this season.
• McCollum and Brown discussed the importance of meditation and finding time to clear your mind. This led into them talking about Brown’s potential book. He said that he was inspired by his recent travel and had so many thoughts written down, that it spurred the idea of a book. Brown’s currently in the brainstorming stage of the process.
• In a basketball-centric discussion, Brown said that the majority of his offseason work has been centered around improving his free throw shooting. The Celtics wing shot 64% from the line last season.