Boston Celtics: CBS says Cs need “another leap” from the ‘Jays’

The Boston Celtics come into the 2020-21 season with great promise, but CBS Sports says that, if they wish to prosper, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown must take “another leap.”

After two-and-a-half months off, the Boston Celtics find themselves once again embarking on the road to glory, as they come into 2020-21 with the sour taste of defeat still on their tongues after their six-game ouster to the Miami Heat in last year’s Eastern Conference Finals.

Their stupendous season was driven by the likes of newly acquired All-Star Kemba Walker, the finally healthy production of Gordon Hayward, and the tremendous strides forward by Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

Unfortunately, coming into this season, the Cs will be without the services of Hayward, as he inked himself a lucrative deal with the Charlotte Hornets this offseason and, for at least the first month, they will be without Walker, who is recovering from a stem-cell injection taken in October and is on a 12-week-rehabilitation circuit.

With this in mind, though Boston is still seen as a top-tier team for this year, CBS Sports writer, James Herbert, believes that in order for the team to replicate the regular season successes they had last year, they’ll need yet a jump in the progressions of Tatum and Brown yet again.

"Rather than filling the hole on the wing, Boston used its mid-level exception to sign center Tristan Thompson, who strained his hamstring before camp and has also yet to take part in a full practice. It has only been two-and-a-half months since Game 6 against Miami, and increasingly it looks like the Celtics need another leap from Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown."

Luckily for fans, it is expected that Tatum will be taking yet another stride forward this season, as ESPN has him ranked as the 11th best player in all of basketball.

That said, while we all love ourselves some Jaylen Brown, this year will be a new experience for the young wing, as he will likely be utilized as the No. 2 option within the system with Walker dealing with injures, as opposed to his traditional No. 3 role.

Though the expectation is he can certainly deliver, this realistically still remains to be seen.