The Boston Celtics need the very best from both their young stars to have a chance in the playoffs
The Boston Celtics are going into the playoffs still unsure of who their clear number one scoring option on offense is. Some people will look to Al Horford as the veteran on a max contract, but that is now that the Celtics want from him. Horford needs to be doing everything to make sure his teammates get as many open looks as possible, and that is much more important than pure scoring.
The problem is that there is all kinds of uncertainty behind him. Marcus Morris might be the one most comfortable in that role, but he is coming off the bench, and simply does not have the talent of the young guys that will be looking to take the next step in their careers in the playoffs.
The Celtics need Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum to both be ready to be the primary scoring option, but they cannot let that take over their approach. The Celtics want the two of them taking the most shots on the team, but they do not want to be in a situation where it feels like they are taking turns generating that shot.
Both of them will need to create their own offense, but they need to keep everything fluid. The moment they start forcing things is the moment they stop working together, and the Celtics will not be good enough to overcome that.
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No matter who actually ends up being the number one option, the Celtics need them to be able to play well together. They cannot afford to have only Brown going off one night, and then only Tatum the other night.
Tatum needs to be able to produce when Brown is dominating the ball more, and Brown needs to do the same when Tatum is taking control. The two of them still seem to have some trouble playing their best at the same time, and it is absolutely vital that they never get in each others way these playoffs.
Especially when you consider both of tham have to take on more ball handling duties, it is going to be even more difficult to effectively coexist at their best in the playoffs.
The Celtics need the two of them to be playing the best basketball of their career on a nightly basis these playoffs. The Celtics do not have the talent to overcome a weak game from these guys, but it is unfair to hold them to that standard at such a young age.
The Celtics have a lot of different things that need to be figured out in the first round, but nothing will be more important than finding a way to get both Tatum and Brown going.
They have a level of talent that can push this team past some of the weaker Eastern playoff teams, but neither of them alone will be enough at this stage in their career.
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There are going to be a lot of other factors, and it is certainly not on the two of them. The Celtics need to succeed with a lot of things just to get out of the first round, and making sure that both Tatum and Brown can be successful at the same time could end up making all the difference.