3 reasons why Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown will win a title with the Boston Celtics
The elite Boston Celtics duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown has been pursuing the franchise’s 18th championship for six years now. They were five triumphs away last season, and just two the previous season when the dream ended at the hands of Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors on the parquet floor. The two have been through numerous growing pains while the role players around them continued to change year after year. The hope is that the subtraction of Marcus Smart, and the addition of Kristaps Porziņģis allows these two All-Stars to guide this ball club back to the NBA Finals seeking the opposite outcome from 2022.
A few days ago, Hardwood Houdini’s Dylan Thompson examined the reasons why Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown will never hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy in Boston.
Now, it is time to look at this from a more positive perspective. Here are three reasons why one of the best duos in the association will end this championship drought for the Celts.
No. 1 reason why Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown will win with the Boston Celtics: Their youth and continued growth is undeniable
These two superstars among others are going to be what makes this league so special for years to come. The duo have a combined age of 51, and as the seasons have come and gone, steps have continued to be taken in their respective games. The two have been around for a while, but in reality, they are still quite young. Among the All-Stars from the Eastern Conference last year, Tatum was the second youngest player while Brown was tied for the fourth youngest.
Since the 2019-2020 campaign, the two have seen improvements in almost every statistical category of their game. The two reached a career-high in points, rebounds, and assists last season for Boston.
The California product had his best offensive season last year, shooting a career-best 49% from the floor. Tatum, on the other hand, posted his highest effective field goal percentage of his six-year career. In addition to the two improving their offensive arsenals, their influence on the defensive end has been paramount in the club’s success. There is no indication that with the kind of work ethic both of them have that next season is going to see some statistical decreases.
https://twitter.com/Balldontlie/status/1680963752890359809?s=20
Celtic great Paul Pierce did not win a title with the Green until his age-30 season. That does not mean this franchise is going to have to wait for one of Tatum or Brown to turn that age. It simply implies that getting over the hump takes time. Sometimes you have to pay your dues, and for some that may take longer compared to others.
The Kyrie Irving experience, the pandemic, and Brown’s ankle injury in 2021. Those are just a few things that Tatum and Brown simply could not control on their journey so far. They were realistically not given the keys by the franchise until Brown’s fifth season as a professional. Once the unselfish Kemba Walker entered the picture, that is when these two became a true “duo”. There are still so many areas for these two to take leaps in, and that is why the future of this franchise is as bright as it is.
No. 2 reason why Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown will win with the Boston Celtics: Brad Stevens, and an elite coaching staff behind them
In the span of three seasons, the Celts have gone through three different head coaches. Days before training camp last year, the entire roster in Boston learned that Ime Udoka was no longer at the helm despite taking the team to the NBA Finals. Brad Stevens flipped from the head man on the sideline to the leader in the front office the previous year. Those are some tough changes for a team to be able to digest in such a short period of time.
This offseason has been different. The organization’s faith in Joe Mazzulla is evident.
Stevens has made a seamless transition into the front office, continuously making the right moves in order to surround the two All-Stars with the correct assets. Draft picks are no longer a priority. The former Butler man has piled up a multitude of impressive hauls via trade since his move to basketball operations. Not only has he brought in Al Horford, Derrick White, and Malcolm Brogdon, but Stevens recruited both Charles Lee and Sam Cassell to sit alongside Mazzulla next season.
The staff last season lost two high-profile coaches in the span of months. That drain in knowledge on the sideline had to have been burdensome for the first-year man. This organization now has one of the smartest men leading the way up top, and an immense amount of wisdom at practice day in and day out. Tatum and Brown will not only learn from the best of the best on the floor, but the man calling the shots concerning the roster has the utmost belief in the two of them.
No. 3 reason why Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown will win with the Boston Celtics: The right supporting cast of players alongside them
Many may disagree with this statement, and while the entire Celtic fanbase adores Smart, that very well could have been an essential move toward a title. Smart, while extremely valuable is not considered to be the most efficient offensive player. Porziņģis is much more of a threat not only on the interior defensively but throughout each level of a halfcourt offense.
The former Washington Wizard is coming off a career campaign, averaging over 23 points per game while shooting over 38% from beyond the arc. A whole lot of pressure fell on Tatum and Brown down the stretch to come up with buckets. After the All-Star break, the Boston Celtics were 14th in offensive rating in the fourth quarter, most likely due to the exhaustion of the club’s superstar duo. Porziņģis will help alleviate some of that pressure due to the staggering amount of offensive talent he has at seven-foot-three. White adds the right defensive versatility that this team needs at the point guard position while contributing on the other end. Shooters like Horford, Brogdon, and Hauser will be there on the perimeter as an escape route if the lane is far too congested.
Next season will be far from smooth sailing. Obstacles are natural in development. With Smart out the door, Tatum and Brown are now considered the leaders of this ball club. With much more offensive help and a stronger frontcourt, the team should be able to move into that next gear behind its All-Star wings.