The one caveat with Jayson Tatum's return to the Boston Celtics is that it raises questions surrounding whose team it is between him and Jaylen Brown. Brown did about as pitch-perfect a job holding the fort while Tatum recuperated, but because Tatum has only looked more and more like his old self, that question will only linger.
Among those who believe it's clearly Tatum's team is Celtics legend Robert Parish, who said as much about Tatum during his appearance on SiriusXM NBA Radio. More than that, he said that Tatum is the best player on that team.
"Whether Jayson's teammates admit it or not, that's Jayson Tatum's team"
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) March 12, 2026
Robert Parish makes it clear who is the best player on the Celtics with @WorldWideWob
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During Parish's heyday with the Celtics, he was the third fiddle behind Larry Bird and Kevin McHale. Although everyone knew that Bird was the leading the way, many forget just how good McHale was. There were very few teams during that time in which McHale wouldn't have been the best player, but he just happened to be in Boston, a team that had one of the few players in the league better than him.
Brown has been one of the NBA's best players, whether skeptics want to admit it or not. He had to for Boston to be as good as they've been, even when they've notched moral victories. However, as Tatum continues to look more like himself, it will become clear that what Parish says here isn't false.
But something else needs to be said when it comes to this debate.
It's not Tatum's or Brown's team. It's Tatum's & Brown's team.
The beauty of the Jays as a pair is that they've never let this debate get to them. Furthermore, there's always been an understanding between them of how to make it work. Both of them have known how to play off each other and thrive for when their opponents try to stop them.
They understand that they are in this together and that they are better off together than apart. The Jays era has featured some down times, but there has never been one problem between them since they unified in 2017. The irony is that because they don't stir up drama, that by itself leads to their doubters inventing drama.
Hopefully, fans don't interpret Parish's words as a way to divide the Jays because it's not. He made it clear how much he respects Brown as a player for his efforts. He simply just thinks the Celtics will go as far as Tatum takes them.
The beauty of the Celtics is that in the grand scheme of things, it doesn't matter who the better player is. All that matter is that they have them both leading the way.