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Should the Boston Celtics Ask for More from Brown and Tatum

By Joshua Bateman

WASHINGTON, DC -  FEBRUARY 8: Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics shoots the ball during the game against the Washington Wizards on February 8, 2018 at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC. 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 2018 NBAE (Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC -  FEBRUARY 8: Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics shoots the ball during the game against the Washington Wizards on February 8, 2018 at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC. 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 2018 NBAE (Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Can the Boston Celtics realistically expect Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum to do more this season?

The Boston Celtics are at an interesting point with their young players. They have multiple rookie and second year players that are expected to be contributors on a nightly basis, and that has contributed to some of their inconsistencies.

Everything is further amplified with Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, because they are top four options on both ends for this team. Only Kyrie Irving and Al Horford are consistently more important than the two of them, and the Celtics cannot sustain success without the two of them playing well.

When you look at what the two of them have done in their roles this season, there is nothing you can complain about. Brown is the most improved player on the team this season, and has jumped from a secondary option off the bench, to a primary option with the starting unit. He is one of the top shooters on the team, whose only area of struggle is somehow from the charity stripe.

On top of that, Brown has been one of the three most important defenders on the team, and probably takes on the most physically demanding matchups out of anyone on this roster.

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The Celtics need the scoring that Brown brings, and he holds together a lot of what they want to do on defense. His versatility and length is vital, and he is both one of the better on and off ball defenders on the team, allowing him to have one of the most important overall impacts on the roster.

When you look at where Brown was last season, it feels kind of silly expecting more out of him. We can see how bright his future is and how much talent he has to grow into, but he has already done so much more in his sophomore season that it would be unfair to expect more from him.

With Tatum, it is an even more extreme case. Tatum is one of the most efficient scorers in the entire NBA, and when shooting 33 percent from three point range over a decently short period is considered the rookie wall, you see how unlimited his potential is.

Tatum has also grown as a ball handler, and has established himself as one of the best three level threats for this team. He is starting to create offense, while having as much reliability as anyone else on the roster. Tatum is one of the most polished rookies we have ever seen, and that alone is already an unrealistic expectation for the 19 year old.

When you add on that he is a more than capable defender, that is asked to play the most important minutes, that can include playing entire fourth quarters, you are really running out of ways you can expect him to be better.

Both Brown and Tatum have shown why they are going to be cornerstones of this franchise, and are on a path to be perennial All Stars and elite two way players. Getting that from a 19 and 21 year old is a luxury that no team is supposed to have, and if they do not get any better in any way this season, they both will still be way ahead of where most expected them to be coming into this season.

Taking all of that into account, the two of them are still the area where the Celtics can improve the most. The Celtics clearly have a flawed roster and have problems that may not ever get fixed with such a raw and young roster.

The Celtics have a lot of work they need to do to improve a lot of aspects of what they are doing. But, when you are looking at the individual players and are thinking about who you think is capable of doing more the rest of the season, it is impossible not to get excited about their potential.

The two of them are in a position where they can separate themselves as the third most important player on this team behind Irving and Horford, but they both have to put in some work to get there.

At this point, it is too difficult to expect Brown or Tatum to really expand their peak this season. What the Celtics need to ask of them, however, is for consistency. The two of them do not need to further transform their game to bring the impact that will improve this roster, but if they can start to sustain their current peak a bit more often, that could do wonders for the team.

The Celtics should not be asking more from Tatum or Brown, but they should be asking for more of what they have already shown that they are capable of. Brad Stevens has talked about gradually increasing Tatum’s role, and Brown can be in a similar position.

We have a great idea of what these two player are going to be capable of doing this season. Their long term outlook makes them one of the most promising young duos in the NBA, but if all they do is bring more of what they are right now, then the Celtics will be able to fix a lot of their consistency problems.

Next: Cleveland's Performance Should Worry Boston

The Celtics get that reliable impact from Horford and Irving, but there really is no one else that can really trust to be at their best on a consistent basis. If the third and fourth options on this team in Brown and Tatum begin to sustain the best impact we have seen from this season, the Celtics are going to get that secondary support that could make all the difference with their inconsistent play.

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