Getty Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum.
When the Boston Celtics were struggling to start the 2021-22 NBA season, the discussion about Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown’s long-term partnership began to gather steam.
Whenever the Celtics find themselves in a tough spot, the narrative always circles back to their two star players, and their ability to play off one another. Usually, it is Brown who fans consider surplus to requirements, in the hope of reshaping the team around Tatum, just like they did when the Ben Simmons and Philadelphia 76ers rumors surfaced.
But in a recent podcast appearance, Tatum weighed in on those discussions, and sent a strong message about his partnership with Brown, “JB has been to three conference finals, I’ve been to two. I think we’re both still very far from our prime. I think what people don’t understand is, you want to break us up, the grass is not always greener. There are not a lot of guys in the NBA like JB. Or if you want to get rid of me, not to toot my own horn, I think I’m one of the best players, so I couldn’t imagine why you wouldn’t want to have two of the best players that are under 25 on your team,” Tatum told JJ Redick on The Old Man & The Three podcast.
“I couldn’t imagine why you wouldn’t want to have two of the best players that are under 25 on your team.”
Jayson Tatum on people who want to break up he and Jaylen Brown.
Both Tatum and Brown have tasted reasonable amounts of success in their young careers, and both have been on the cusp of NBA Finals appearances more than once. Now, Boston’s star wings have the keys to the offense and are the clear leaders of this Celtics team, so it makes sense they’re given the opportunity to explore their full capabilities.
Tatum Praises Brown’s Development
Throughout his young NBA career, Brown has been one of the few players in the league to show linear signs of progress. When the 25-year-old wing entered the league, he was known as an athletic slasher who could potentially develop into a two-way wing.
Now, Brown is one of the best in his role and has developed a fearsome shooting stroke, both off the dribble and off the catch. Midway through his sixth season, the 6-foot-6 wing is averaging 37.3% from deep on 4.7 attempts per game and is taking a career-high 7.5 attempts per night this season.
Jayson Tatum on playing with Jaylen Brown: “I think the best thing for his career and mine is being on the same team – relatively same position and same age – pushing each other every day.”
(via @OldManAndThree pod)
“He’s one of the most hard-working guys that I know, and I think the best thing, for his career and mine, is being on the same team and, you know, relatively same age and position, and pushing each other. Just every day, in the games and in practice, working out together, I think that’s been very beneficial for both of us,” Tatum told Redick when discussing Brown’s career growth.
The encouraging thing for Celtics fans is there seems to be very little crossover between Brown and Tatum’s game, something which Brown has previously noted, comparing their skillsets to fire and ice. So, when things aren’t going smoothly, it makes sense to get behind the young duo, rather than pushing to split them up.
Tatum’s Preparing For His Third All-Star Appearance
This season marks the third straight year that Tatum has been named as an Eastern Conference All-Star, cementing his place among the league’s elite players. The impressive part of Tatum’s selection this year, is it comes amid a difficult shooting slump.
However, despite Tatum’s up and down scoring numbers, he’s proven to the world that he’s capable of shouldering both the scoring and playmaking load when called upon. However, Tatum does feel like he deserves more recognition from the media, noting that he “would need to average 30 points for people to say I’m having a monster season,” compared to other players in the league.
Luckily, Tatum still has another 22 games of regular season basketball, and a potential deep playoff run to enter some All-NBA discussions, and of course, at the age of 23 there is still plenty of time for him to etch his name into NBA history.