All-Stars Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward have returned to action for the Boston Celtics, but it’s the young wings Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown who can help Boston reach the NBA Finals.
After three games, Boston Celtics fans have high hopes for an Eastern Conference title and vague dreams of an NBA championship.
Though Boston has a healthy Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward this season, the Celtics two young future NBA stars on their roster, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, will determine far the team can advance this season.
Two years ago, General Manager Danny Ainge pulled off one of the biggest deals in recent memor, trading Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder and a lottery pick to Cleveland for Kyrie Irving. When healthy, Irving is one of the best point guards in the NBA and, after committing to re-signing with Boston in the offseason, gives the Celtics a real blueprint to banner 18.
When Irving went down late last season and missed the entire playoffs, both Tatum and Brown had to step up their games to help Boston advance within a game of the NBA Finals, especially in clutch situations. Tatum became the team’s go-to player in critical scoring situations, playing in 19 playoff games and finishing with more playoff points (351) than any rookie besides Kareem Abdul-Jabaar.
Jaylen Brown was also a key two-way player in the postseason, often guarding a top perimeter threat while also ranking second in scoring at 18 points per game, just a half-point behind Tatum. Brown shot 39.3 percent on more than six three-point attempts a game.
If the Celtics have any hopes of getting to the Finals this season, then they need a healthy and balanced performance from the starters and the bench, but most of all, they need to see incremental growth from Tatum and Brown.
In six years as Celtics coach Brad Stevens a record of 221-189 and a .539 winning percentage. However, the club has unable to get over the Eastern Conference hump, falling to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the conference finals the past two seasons.
With Irving committing to Boston, the Celtics should have their hopes set on advancing to the championship this season.
Compared to other NBA coaches Stevens is one of the youngest and brightest minds in the game. He has also demonstrated great skill and patience in developing players like Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum in such a short period of time.
With LeBron James leaving Cleveland and moving to Los Angeles, the landscape of the East is wide open and Tatum and Brown have the chance to emerge as some of the best wings to fill the East’s star void.
Tatum has had an especially promising start to the season, leading the Celtics in scoring and rebounding at 21 points and 10.7 rebounds per game. He also hit some clutch shots late Saturday to lead Boston past the New York Knicks, 103-101.
We were shorthanded and playing on the second night of a back-to-back, but our top guns came through in the clutch to give us a win at MSG. https://t.co/cr12Wq9Jwm
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) October 21, 2018
On the other hand, Brown has been adapting to a different role with Gordon Hayward return, focusing more on his defense and sliding into a supporting role on offense with his hard slashing to the rim and strong three-point shooting.
If the Celtics can stay healthy, 2018-19 will be turning points for Brown and Tatum. Except the Celtics to win the Eastern Conference as both players have breakout seasons. If all goes according to plan, Brown and Tatum will emerge as NBA superstars over the course of their rookie deals and propel Boston to the top of the league.