BOSTON — On the night of Oct. 18, 2022, which was opening night for the Boston Celtics, the pregame festivities were as much about looking back as looking ahead. Bill Russell had died during the summer, age 88, and now the arrival of a new season would have to wait a bit until somebody from the Celtics stepped out on the parquet to take a shot at putting everything in perspective.The person chosen for that assignment was Jaylen Brown, then just 25 years old, an All-Star only once, an NBA champion not yet. Brown was already a veteran of six NBA seasons by then, and for the purposes of this discussion, though it’s stating the obvious, all six of those seasons were as a member of the Boston Celtics.Brown laid out the usual resume/plaque information about Russell that night, such as his 11 championships in 13 seasons, and how two of those titles, the last two, were registered while the great No. 6 was player/coach.And then, Brown said this: “But undoubtedly, Bill Russell was a great man for what and who he stood for. During the peak of racial tension in our society, he represented a type of nobility and honor that transcended sports.”Memorable moments from Jaylen Brown's 10 seasons in BostonWhat perfect words. What a perfect spokesperson to go to bat for the late, great Russell. Now, I’d be lying if I told you I stood there that night at TG Garden thinking Brown was destined to be a Celtic for life, that he would put in his 15 or 16 or 17 seasons in the Green, maybe win three or four championships, and then settle down in the area, just as Tom Sanders, John Havlicek, Jo Jo White and other Celtics greats did. I’d be lying if I told you I took a cleap and envisioned a day when there’d be a Governor Brown, a Senator Brown, or that he’d open a restaurant in the North End or a Ford dealership on Guest Street in Brighton, just down the street from the Auerbach Center.