Without question, the Boston Celtics‘ 2020-21 campaign has been a rollercoaster affair, with an equal measure of impressive wins and eye-rolling defeats. Through the ups and the downs, though, All-Star forwards Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have been playing their basketball.
Never has this been more apparent than in the Celtics’ Wednesday night win over the Charlotte Hornets. By combining to score 73 points — Brown led the way with 38 while Tatum added 35 — they become the first Boston teammates in 15 years to score 35-plus points apiece in a single game.
As good as they have been offensively, though, both players have been criticized at times for their effort on the other side of the ball. Clutch play has also been a question mark at various junctures this season.
Meanwhile, some have even questioned whether Tatum and/or Brown have what it takes to be the leaders of the team.
This week, a longtime member of the Celtics broadcast team and a native Beantowner made a particularly damning statement regarding the latter subject.
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Mike Gorman: Tatum & Brown Can’t Lead
On Wednesday, Celtics play-by-play commentator Mike Gorman was on with 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Toucher and Rich discussing the latest team-centric happenings. During the interview, he was asked point-blank if he feels that Tatum and Brown can be called upon to lead the team moving forward.
His response could come across as an indictment of Boston’s All-Star duo. Or, at the least, an indictment of their youth and relative inexperience.
“I don’t think so,” he deadpanned.
Gorman subsequently indicated that the Celtics were looking for Kemba Walker to lead the charge. However, he believes that injuries have prevented the floor general from taking on that role.
“I think we need someone right now who is 28 to 30, who’s been around the league,” he said. “I thought Kemba might be that guy, but he’s just been constantly playing with injuries. He’s never been given the opportunity or had the opportunity to play five, six, seven games in a row.”
Gorman continued:
“I think they were looking at him as that presence of a, again, that 28 to 30-year-old guy who’s been around and can keep the younger guys — not so much in check, because I don’t think they’re out of control — but just take the responsibility off of them of being the leader of the team.”
He concluded by opining that the Celtics “just don’t have that guy.”
Young Celtic Disagrees
While Gorman doesn’t see Tatum and Brown as locker room leaders, one of the pair’s young teammates offered a contrasting assessment during an exclusive interview with Heavy’s Josue Pavón.
Namely, big man Tacko Fall.
In Fall’s opinion, the Celtics don’t just have “that guy,” but multiple guys who can take on the leadership mantle on a given night.
“The thing about our team is anybody can step up,” he said. “We don’t have the type of problem where nobody can really come up and say something. Anybody can step up, and be a leader and that’s the type of culture that we have.”
However, Fall made a point to single out the team’s big guns.
“Especially Jaylen and JT; I mean, being so young,” he said. “They have a lot of responsibility on their plate and they step up a lot.”
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Celtics Broadcaster Makes Damning Statement on Team’s Stars