Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown becoming the NBA’s next “what-if”
Another season of heartbreak and pain for the Boston Celtics, and Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are at the forefront of it. The duo once again failed to reach the goal of Banner 18 after an Eastern Conference Finals seven-game series loss to the Heat, but this time it feels different.
With the uncertainty of Brown’s future, I wonder if the Jays are slowly becoming the NBA’s next what-if.
What-ifs are among the most fun and heartbreaking discussions among NBA fans because they are interesting, but for the fanbases that are affected, they can be brutal. For example, some of the biggest NBA what-ifs are if the Oklahoma City Thunder never traded James Harden, if Shaquille O’Neal and Penny Hardaway stayed together, and if the Portland Trailblazers drafted Michael Jordan over Sam Bowie. The common theme among what-ifs involves the team not winning championships.
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are quickly becoming a what-if
The Jays are slowly becoming a what-if because they have yet to win a title, and there is a chance they get broken up this off-season. If the Jays are unable to win a championship in the next few years or they get broken up, they will join the class of the top what-ifs in NBA history.
They will meet the necessary criteria because they are exceptional players, which makes it shocking that they have not won. The biggest worry that Celtics fans should have is that they are going to look back in twenty years and say to themselves, “How did Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown never win a ring together?”
The reflection from fans is common among what-ifs, and you see it with Shaq and Penny. I could see a world where the Tatum and Brown discussions become very similar to the way people talked about Shaq and Penny.
This should have been the next Dynasty. They had EVERYTHING.
— The NBA Realist (@nbarealist23) May 27, 2023
Shaq & Penny were 2 of the 4 best players in the game, and both two-way players. Grant All-defense, and Anderson/Scott both 20-point scorers on any other team.
This was easily the best starting lineup in the league.… https://t.co/sjBFv2ZnEJ
It will be interesting to see what happens with the Jays and whether or not they become an all-time what-if — but it’s quickly beginning to look that way unless major changes are made in the offseason.