Getty Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics
The noise may have died down, but only a couple of weeks ago, people were calling for the Boston Celtics to split up their star duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
The logic behind those discussions was clear: Brown is the most attractive trade chip the Celtics own and would swiftly revitalize a struggling roster. Former Celtic and Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins weighed into the Brown and Tatum discussion before the team’s January 29 contest against the New Orleans Pelicans.
“Hell of a tandem. I think what they need is a couple more pieces around them. When you’re a young team and trying to grow, you’re always adding different pieces. But those two guys are explosive, one of the best tandems in this league,” Wilkins told NBC Sports Boston’s Abby Chin.
Dominique Wilkins offers high praise for Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum & Rob Williams ahead of tonight’s Celtics-Hawks matchup
Check out his conversation with @tvabby ⬇️
Most of the “trade Jaylen” narrative gained traction following the Celtics’ inability to maintain leads during Tatum’s COVID enforced absence earlier this season. Yet as the pairing have begun hitting top form, the narrative has shifted towards getting the duo some additional help – something else Wilkins gave his opinion on.
“You’ve gotta continue to add pieces to a team that’s trying to get to the next level. And those two guys are the cornerstone of this franchise, and if you get rid of one or the other, you don’t know what you’re missing until it’s gone,” Wilkins said.
Wilkins Reserves Special Praise for Robert Williams
When “the human highlight reel” speaks about a player’s potential, you would be wise to listen. Wilkins participated in 1074 NBA games and can be found in the basketball Hall of Fame for his electrifying exploits.
The former Atlanta Hawks, Los Angeles Clippers, Celtics, San Antonio Spurs, and Orlando Magic wing was well known for his dunking ability and infallible hustle plays, making his appreciation of Robert Williams all the more logical.
“That man can bounce. He can get up off the floor. He’s been an impressive guy for a couple of years for me, and you can see the development of his game. He’s a very active big man, I like him,” Wilkins said, “He’s in a role where he’s playing legitimate minutes, and when you’re those kind of minutes, you learn on the job and get a chance to make your mistakes and learn what not to do as you continue to develop your skills.
He’s made leaps and bounds as far as his ability to be effective on the floor.”
Williams has been earning plaudits from around the league this season for his incredible passing ability and improvements on the defensive end. Once considered a foul-hungry young center, Williams is fast becoming one of the NBA’s better rim runners.
If Robert Williams stays healthy, I think that contract is a bargain
The physical tools are obvious, but I love the passing. Legitimately good (and fun) passer for a Center
“Big guys like that are hard to find. When you’ve got a big guy like that, who can be a rim protector, finish around the rim, throw lobs to, it’s great to have guys like that because they’re hard to come by around this league,” Wilkins continued with his praise of Williams.
Celtics Building Chemistry
Boston currently sits 9th in the Eastern Conference standings with a 26-25 record. The team has struggled to hold onto a lead during late-game situations and has multiple games where the rim seems to have a lid on it.
Yet, Wilkins believes it’s just a matter of time before the Celtics put the correct pieces around their two All-Stars, and that the team will continue to improve moving forwards – a sentiment many fans have come to share in recent weeks.
We are waiting for Tatum and Brown to develop into championship caliber players. Fine. But there are younger players with better records than the Celtics. So what the hell are we doing???
Role players are & always will be the difference in championship vs non-championship teams.
“They’re a team that has a lot of expectations because of the two superstars they have. Sometimes, it takes a while for you to build that chemistry, and they’re slowly trying to build that chemistry back, and sometimes it takes a little time. But you would rather have those woes early in the season,” Wilkins told Abby Chin.
With the February 10 trade deadline fast approaching, it’s becoming increasingly likely that the Celtics continue with their current roster and look to rebuild around the margins during the summer.
Tatum and Brown have both found a new gear in recent weeks, and the Celtics are 9-6 in the month of January, so things could look a lot different for this team before the end of the season. And if things remain the same, we can rest assured the rotation will look vastly different to begin the 2022-23 campaign.
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