Jaylen Brown certainly doesn't lack confidence heading into the 2018-19 NBA season.
- BLAKELY: Hayward looks like Boston's X-factor
Appearing on Trail Blazers guard C.J. McCollum's "Pull Up" podcast, Brown guaranteed the Celtics will be battling for a chance at a title in the 2019 NBA Finals.
"Oh, we're getting to the Finals," Brown said. "No question about it."
For most players, guaranteeing a playoff berth let alone a Finals berth is a bold move. But for Brown, it isn't hard to understand why the third-year Celtics forward is so optimistic about his team's chances.
Boston made it to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals without Gordon Hayward for the entire season, and without Kyrie Irving for all of the playoffs. Assuming the C's are at full strength this time around, and with LeBron James finally being out of the East, there aren't many reasons to bet against them.
As highly projected as the Celtics are entering the new campaign, Brown makes it clear that expectations don't matter. What matters, is execution.
Boston Celtics
Find the latest Boston Celtics news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Boston.
"At the end of the day it doesn't matter if we're the favorites in the East or we're predicted to win 10 games in the East," Brown said. "We've got to come out and play. It's simple."