Jaylen Brown Didn’t Hold Back About Celtics’ Rebounding Issues

The Boston Celtics have opened the 2025–26 NBA season with three straight losses — and their biggest weakness couldn’t be more obvious. Through three games, Boston ranks 27th in the league in rebounding at just 39 boards per game, with only the Cavaliers, Nets, and Kings faring worse.

Sunday’s 119–113 loss to the Detroit Pistons was the latest collapse, punctuated by another brutal showing on the glass. Detroit finished with 55 rebounds, including 19 offensive boards, leading to a staggering 32 second-chance points. For context, Boston’s entire frontcourt of Neemias Queta, Luka Garza, and Chris Boucher combined for just nine rebounds — barely half of what Pistons center Jalen Duren managed by himself (18).

Jaylen Brown, who poured in 41 points on 12-of-25 shooting, didn’t mince words about what’s gone wrong.

“I don’t know, but we gotta figure that out,” Brown said postgame. “A lot of our issues can be solved just on the defensive glass — I gotta get more involved. A lot of long shots lead to long rebounds, and some of those guys just keep pushing us underneath. But rebounding is definitely the biggest issue for us right now.”

Brown’s self-awareness is accurate, but it also underscores a concerning truth: effort, not talent, is the problem.

Pritchard’s Hustle Highlights a Deeper Issue

When 6-foot-1 Payton Pritchard is your second-leading rebounder, it’s not a good sign. Pritchard is averaging 6.7 rebounds per game, trailing only Queta, and even led the team with 10 rebounds in Detroit. That’s not a knock on Pritchard — whose grit has been one of the few bright spots — but rather a reflection of how uninvolved Boston’s big men have been on the glass.

Rebounding has become the great equalizer against this new-look Celtics roster. With Jayson Tatum sidelined recovering from an Achilles injury and a revamped frontcourt replacing Kristaps Porziņģis, Al Horford, and Luke Kornet, Boston’s physicality has vanished. Through three games, the Celtics have allowed a league-high 50 offensive rebounds, resulting in 74 second-chance points.

Head coach Joe Mazzulla has tried to emphasize accountability, even benching players for giving up offensive boards. But on Sunday, the issue was so widespread that he’d have had to sit nearly everyone.

“We had a 17-point lead today,” Mazzulla said. “We’ve got to close the second quarter better. Obviously, the fouls and the rebounds at a certain time… I thought that our effort was there. Now we’ve got to play a complete game with effort and execution.”

Mazzulla’s frustration is justified — the Celtics’ rebounding woes have been a constant thread in all three losses, each winnable if not for repeated collapses on the boards.

A Rare 0–3 Hole — and a Familiar Message

This marks just the 10th time in franchise history Boston has started 0–3, and only four of those teams have gone on to post winning records. The last time the Celtics began a season this poorly was 2013–14, when Brad Stevens’ first team stumbled to a 25–57 finish.

Brown insists this version of the Celtics isn’t headed for that fate — but admits time and chemistry are needed.

“It’s early in the season,” Brown said. “Obviously, it’s not what people wanna hear, especially in Boston. All three games were winnable… We just gotta figure it out and focus on getting one.”

That first win won’t come until the Celtics rediscover their identity on the glass. Until then, no 40-point night or offensive outburst will matter.

Boston heads to New Orleans next, searching for its first win — and someone, anyone, willing to rebound.

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