Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown mum on expectations

Jayson Tatum & Jaylen Brown | Greg M. Cooper/USA Today Sports

Boston Celtics Media Day is here! All reasonable logic takes a back seat. Optimism and lofty expectations are front and center.

We've gotten some interesting quotes from today, but one thing that sticks out is what wasn’t said. As Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe points out, both Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown both brushed off questions on expectations for the team.

Sounds like the Celtics might have been told not to say much about expectations. Tatum and now Jaylen have both made a point of saying they're not talking about that.

— Adam Himmelsbach (@AdamHimmelsbach) September 30, 2019

If there was a directive from the team to not speak about team expectations, it is a good idea. It was championship or bust at last year’s Media Day. And when the results didn’t go as expected, Celtics fans had to endure one of the least likeable Celtics teams of my lifetime.

It’ll be refreshing to watch a hard-playing, humble and likeable team this year. Since I don’t have to hold off on talking about expectations, I think it is realistic that we see a team that hosts a first round playoff series and has the potential to win a couple rounds.

Quotes like that aren’t exciting and shouldn’t be the ultimate goal for the team, so let’s watch and see. The play on the court will reset expectations as the season goes on. But if your excitement is difficult to contain, there is no shame in predicting banner 18!