Jayson Tatum delivers unifying message before Jaylen Brown's first All-Star start

Sunday night in Tinseltown, Jaylen Brown will make his first career start in an NBA All-Star Game. The Boston Celtics star is playing a caliber of basketball that has vaulted his name into the MVP conversation. He currently is sixth on NBA.com's MVP ladder.

Brown is generating 29.3 points, 6.9 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.0 steals per contest. The tenth-year veteran is shooting nearly 50 percent from beyond the arc, engineering the second-most drives per contest, and ranks in the top six in shots made from the mid-range, per NBA.com.

What he's accomplishing this season comes as no surprise to Jayson Tatum.

"It's been great. I think, even before the season, I didn't -- there was no doubt in my mind that he, and P [Payton Pritchard], and D. White and all these guys would -- I knew what they were capable of," said Tatum during a recent media availability at the Auerbach Center.

"Whenever somebody that loves the game that much and works as hard as they do, with maybe more opportunities, I'm not surprised at what they've been able to accomplish. It's been really fun and cool to see."

Jaylen Brown is relishing his long-awaited opportunity

It is inaccurate, and, depending on where the message is coming from, irresponsible to suggest that Brown—or Tatum—doesn't prioritize winning.

Both have made sacrifices throughout their careers to do so. They wouldn't have become champions and led the Celtics to a level of success that made trips to the Eastern Conference Finals feel like an annual tradition without being willing to put the team first.

Still, who doesn't want the chance to become their best selves? To have the opportunity to showcase what they're fully capable of?

It doesn't mean either wanted it more than what they can accomplish together, but it's human nature for that to exist within Brown and Tatum, just like it would for anyone else in their situation.

Now, instead of living with conviction about what he could achieve while shouldering more responsibility despite lacking proof of concept, everyone gets to see what the former Finals MVP always knew.

And true to his vision of what this opportunity would look like, it's not just that he's playing at an All-NBA First Team level. With Brown operating as a rising tide that lifts all boats, Boston is second in the East. Record-wise, the Celtics are among the top four in the NBA. Producing the second-best offensive rating, limiting opponents to the second-fewest points per game, and ranking third in net rating, they have the hallmarks of a legitimate contender.

If Tatum enters the fold this season, it will only help that cause. Just as Brown elevating his play makes it easier to avoid putting too much on the former's plate too soon, whenever Boston's star forward returns, his running mate will benefit from having him back in the lineup.

It also helps that Tatum has remained present and involved throughout the current campaign. It has allowed an individual with a high basketball IQ to stay on top of the changes his team has made this season. He's witnessed it firsthand as players throughout the roster grow their game. And from chemistry and synergy standpoints, it has also been beneficial for him to stay connected to the group in the locker room.

The growth Tatum, like the rest of those watching, is seeing from Brown and his teammates is necessary to the Celtics' title hopes. Achieving that this year would defy expectations. Granted, if the six-time All-Star's return isn't far away, he wouldn't have to reach his pre-injury form to become the most impactful in-season addition.

What's even more important is the franchise's long-term outlook. When Tatum tore his Achilles, some of the potential scenarios for Boston's championship window with him and Brown as the team's cornerstones were somber.

Fortunately, in a season where they are exemplifying what it means to operate as an elite organization, the Celtics have kept themselves a part of the championship chatter, seen players throughout their roster evolve, in the face of adversity, and with the winter winds whipping through the city they reside in, they've left their window of contention wide open.