Jayson Tatum’s return sparked plenty of conversation during the weeks of buildup. None was more prominent than the “can he and Jaylen Brown co-exist” chatter, fueled by Brown’s All-NBA level of play in Tatum’s absence.
Two games is a small sample size, though they’ve played together for literally Tatum’s entire career, but so far, so good.
Brown, in particular, hasn’t missed a beat.
He’s still doing all of the great things he’s done all season long, just with Jayson Tatum on the floor, too. Scoring, passing, defense, rebounding. He’s impacting winning in a versatile range of ways.
Brown is averaging 23.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 7.5 assists per game on 16-34 from the field and 3-8 from long range since Tatum came back. His scoring is down a few points, but the rest of his game is as sharp as ever.
Brown’s playmaking growth has been on full display since Boston came back from the All-Star break. He, as has the team as a whole, has set up his teammates for easy baskets over the past few weeks with about eight assists each night. Playing without Tatum through the first 62 games of the season inherently put more of the playmaking responsibility on his shoulders and he’s taken it on with grace.
Tatum hasn't been bad, either.
Sunday's win over the Cavs was a reminder of how well these two work
It should be no surprise that he and Tatum both had stretches of greatness in Sunday’s win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Tatum came out red hot and poured in 12 first-quarter points, while Brown racked up seven of his own to go along with three assists and three rebounds.
The middle quarters were where JB really got cooking. He lifted the Celtics out of a second-half slump in the opening minutes of the third quarter when he scored or assisted on nine straight points for them.
More than anything, both players were able to read the game and what it needed at any given time. There was no feeling of fighting over the ball. No looming awkwardness on offense because the ball wasn’t moving.
Instead, they just worked together to make their teammates better, something they’ve been doing for nearly a decade. Those who hoped that Brown’s solo success would create a rift between Boston’s two stars or somehow dissolve their chemistry will have to write some new fanfiction ahead of the playoffs.
“It’s good to see, not only my brother back out there, but more importantly, besides basketball, the mental aspect… to see my boy smiling and seeing him out there having fun doing what he loves to do,” Brown explained during a Twitch stream on Friday. “That was a victory in itself.”