On Thursday, we heard a hilarious encounter between Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla and a listener on 98.5 The Sports Hub in Boston.

In that interaction, Mazzulla was asked about why he's sometimes surly with the media, and he gave an honest reflection about his media dealings.

Furthermore, we also saw Mazzulla give a great answer to a listener question: "Are the Celtics better off without Jaylen Brown?"

In his answer, Mazzulla said that the team is "different," and that things can't be judged on better or worse. He said that the team will be different and have different strengths that need to be exploited and taken advantage of.

He also pointed to Jayson Tatum, who has shown elements of "special" during the preseason, and he said that they are excited about further opportunities for guys like Payton Pritchard.

1) First and foremost, this is a very politically correct answer. Mazzulla is smart to not disparage his former player by saying the Celtics are better without him. He's also smart to not disparage his current players by saying that the team isn't as good. So, as he talked about getting better with the media, this is a good example of how to be media savvy.

2) But Mazzulla is also a critical thinker who is always looking for solutions, and he's smart to look at the Celtics as a piece of clay that can be molded in a different way this season. There are lots of different ways to find success and this year's team can still do that without Brown.

Just because Mazzulla can't give a more honest answer doesn't mean that we have to stay silent on the matter. I think the following things are fair to acknowledge.

1) Brown and Tatum were a legendary duo who won an NBA title in 2023-24. Brown was the MVP of the NBA Finals that year and finished sixth in the league's MVP voting last season. He's a great player and the Celtics flourished with him. Being "better" without him is a really hard ask.

2) With Brown out of the picture, there is room for guys like Pritchard, Derrick White, Sam Hauser, Mitchell Robinson and Neemias Queta to step up more. That freedom should help them find new levels to their game. Furthermore, Paul George is an excellent complimentary player to Tatum that unlocks new potential for this team on both ends of the floor. However, so much of this is predicated on if George can stay healthy or not. If he can, then the Celtics have a high ceiling. If he can't, the ceiling gets much lower.

Ultimately, I believe the Celtics can be better without Brown, at their best version, but I think there are too many variables and that the C's won't be able to hit that best version for an entire 82-game season.

It's why I've predicted the Celtics to finish fifth or sixth in the Eastern Conference.