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Boston Celtics Youth: Fluke or Just the Beginning?

By Joshua Bateman

BOSTON, MA - OCTOBER 9: Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics handles the ball against the Philadelphia 76ers during a preseason game on October 9, 2017 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - OCTOBER 9: Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics handles the ball against the Philadelphia 76ers during a preseason game on October 9, 2017 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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A lot of what happens with the Boston Celtics will be tied to what Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum become this season

The Boston Celtics took a huge risk when they decided to start their two youngest players, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. So far, it has worked out better than anyone could have imagined. They have two of the biggest roles on the team, and they are making a difference on both ends.

They are both fearless on the court, who already know when they need to be aggressive, without making too many mistakes.

A lot of people will question whether or not the two of them can keep up this play, and its not unjustified. They are so young, and the biggest question will always be consistency. Marcus Smart and Marcus Morris will be coming back, and that could threaten some of their opportunities.

It is one thing to get flashes of great play from young players, and maintaining it is a different story. This season is still too small of a sample to really trust anything, but this could also just be the start of what these players can become this season.

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Overall, the Celtics will need time before the team develops together and reaches their best. The more games they play, the more comfortable the team will be and that should make things easier for Brown and Tatum.

If you look at their numbers, you can see there are still areas where they have a lot of room to improve. The most impressive thing so far is the kind of volume they have maintained, and Stevens is trusting them with a lot of minutes.

With Brown, there is one glaring problem: free throws. One of the biggest parts of Brown’s game is attacking the rim, and he is phenomenal at finishing through contact. He can shoot 47 percent overall and 36 percent from three, but can’t break 55 percent from the free throw line.

It is something that has been a problem for Brown throughout his time with the Celtics. As Brown gets more experience, he will get better at generating contact. If he can start hitting his free throws, he can use his athleticism to kill teams at the free throw line.

Brown also does not do much distributing. He does not generate the ball movement, but he is not making the mistakes that hurt it. Brown looks for the right opportunities to attack, and he never turns the ball over.

Brown may never be the kind of player that has much of an impact distributing, but it is still too early to say it is impossible.

With Brown’s defense, he really should not have any worry about losing playing time this season. It will be hard for him to keep up his 18.8 points per game, but that does not mean his overall role will also suffer.

The Celtics may not need him to be as much on the offensive end, but his versatility on defense ensures that Stevens will always want to use him.

Defense is also one of the major factors in getting Tatum 34 minutes per game as a rookie. Stevens never uses rookies this frequently, and it is because of Tatum’s defense that he can stay on the court this long.

He has absolutely blown away any possible expectations as a rebounder. The Celtics still do not have a big that really excels on the boards, and Tatum has been the most important rebounder on the team so far.

Tatum is giving them a boost that they were not expecting, and he has been a huge reason why they are a positive rebounding team this season.

The defense is how Tatum will keep the minutes, but he could also grow into one of the most important offensive players. It will be a long process trying to find ways to replace Gordon Hayward‘s offense, but Tatum appears to have the most potential right now.

He is shooting over 45 percent form three, which may not be maintainable, but he is also attacking teams in a lot of different ways. He may already have the most complete offensive arsenal on the team, and there is no one else that can present his potential.

If Tatum can keep up the defense, then Stevens will be able to involve him more and more on offense, and allow him to continue to be one of the most important players on the team.

The best part about these two young players is that they do not make mistakes. If they can keep that up, and make a difference on defense, then they will never be at risk of losing too many opportunities.

Next: Al Horford Leading the Way on Defense

There are a lot of ways the Celtics can improve, and that could push the two of them to the side a bit. That being said, they are going to make it incredibly hard on any player that might be getting some of their opportunities.

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