To say Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have done more than enough this season while functioning as the stars of the Boston Celtics is still wildly understating it.
The ‘Jays’ have been spectacular individually this year, with Brown’s presence in the lineup after missing time earlier this season giving plenty of context for why the team wasn’t playing to the standard most expected them to heading into 2021-22. As for the other ‘Jay’, Tatum has a legitimate chance to sneak into the MVP conversation if the Cs can separate themselves from the pack.
What has occurred over the past three months is the exact best-case scenario Boston Celtics fans have been craving for all season. But is the best-case scenario for the franchise to somehow add a third star to the mix during the offseason?
As MassLive’s Brian Robb explains, that is not the case. Instead, strengthening the core around them instead is the plan:
"Pursuing a third star this offseason would sacrifice a lot of depth and future trade flexibility given the team’s hefty salary commitments already to Brown and Tatum. If there’s an ideal fit out there, the Celtics will certainly take a look but the odds lean strongly in favor of simply strengthening the supporting cast alongside that duo if this group can make a meaningful postseason push."
The Boston Celtics believe that two stars could be enough
For the past three seasons, the NBA Championship has been won by a team that had two bona fide All-Stars.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton (with major help from one-time All-Star Jrue Holiday) helped Deer District do it in 2021, while the LeBron James-Anthony Davis Los Angeles Lakers tandem proved unbeatable in the Lake Buena Vista bubble in 2020. Kawhi Leonard and Kyle Lowry helped deliver Toronto its only title in franchise history back in 2019.
The Cs have two all-league talents, one of the league’s best starting fives, and a second unit that keeps the team competitive with the elite aforementioned first five off the floor.
No matter what happens this April/May/June, it’s hard seeing Boston Celtics President of Basketball Operations reverse course after already giving up so much to complement his two stars.