Boston Celtics: The case for and against building around Brown and Tatum

Should the Boston Celtics focus all of their roster-building efforts on surrounding Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum with the best-fitting talents for their skillsets?

Any team that falls short of an NBA Championship has reflecting to do before the start of the next season. Even if it seems like organic growth is the only thing that needs to happen–and I’m sure many Boston Celtics are feeling that way after the events of the 2019-20 season–every team needs to take a look in the mirror at the conclusion of this season.

More so than most years, every top contender has a fatal flaw. Even the Los Angeles Lakers, who are currently in control of the NBA Finals and look likely to tie the Cs with their 17th banner, are likely to tinker with their roster.

The Celtics had an up and down run through the postseason, often seeing momentum halted soon after gaining it. The Philadelphia 76ers series was essentially a tune-up round, and they barely escaped the Eastern Conference semifinals series against the defending NBA Champion Toronto Raptors.

It was finally in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat where the team was exposed for having too few reliable shot-creators…with Marcus Smart often cosplaying as one to disastrous effects.

Now Boston is faced with a difficult task this offseason: building a championship-caliber team while being a tax-paying team. One route Danny Ainge could take this offseason is building around his two ascending superstars Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum.

Here is the case for and against doing that: