Latest Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown debate is as terrible as ever

In Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown's first season sharing the floor in the early stages of their primes, they delivered a championship. Before that, they led the Boston Celtics to at least the Eastern Conference Finals in four of their first six years together. Critiques, some valid, of a young duo figuring out how to take a franchise to the NBA's mountain top were an unavoidable part of the journey. However, calls to break them up were misguided.

Tatum and Brown's success together showed what mattered most to them. It wasn't easy for the latter to sacrifice what he always believed he could prove with more responsibility and freedom. A year after the former averaged a career-high 30.1 points in the 2022-23 campaign, he spent most nights in the following two seasons setting the table for his teammates. While his scoring output dipped just below 27 points, he became even more impactful as a facilitator and with his screening.

Boston's star duo has individual goals and the talent to achieve them. Brown being in the MVP conversation this season is a quintessential example of that. However, what they have always prioritized is winning.

It's fair to see Brown elevate his play and continue to drive team success for the Celtics, who are second in the East, and ponder what it will look like when Tatum returns. They'll have to figure that out. However, suggesting they won't figure that out is insulting and, in some cases, it's likely disingenuous.

The Celtics needed Jaylen Brown's ascent

Tatum's extensive on-court workout after Boston's shootaround before Monday night's game against the Detroit Pistons was a message. He's not ready to return. However, he's pushing to make that happen this season. This author would advise not to bet against him. Advancements in treating a torn Achilles, combined with the relentless nature he's attacking his rehab, suggest that it's realistic he checks the boxes necessary to rejoin the lineup during the current campaign.

If he does, it helps that he has remained present and involved, rather than rehabbed from a distance. Tatum is up to speed with the changes in how the Celtics are playing on both sides of the ball. He sees the impact it's having and what Brown is demonstrating with more responsibility.

It is hard to believe the six-time All-Star would return expecting, let alone demanding, that the situation return to the way it was before his injury. That would be an uncharacteristic approach from him.

If anything, Brown's growth while driving Boston's success makes it easier for Tatum to join the lineup without the team immediately giving him too heavy a workload. It's not fair to expect Tatum to make his season debut in the next couple of months and quickly become a top-five player in the league again. He could be far from that form and still prove the most impactful addition any team makes in the current campaign. For a franchise that's contending the wide-open Eastern Conference without him, there's no telling how far that could propel them.

So, if Tatum returns this season, what this author anticipates is him fitting into not disrupting the current dynamic. Perhaps he'll hardly bring the ball up for a team that's pushing the pace more in his absence. It might be best not to put that on his plate. There might also be more two-person actions where the five-time All-NBA selection functions as a screener for Brown more often than in the past. Plus, he could be a reliable kick-out option when spacing to the corners.

Before the 2026-27 campaign commences, it's in Tatum and Brown's best interest to communicate about what they want it to look like next season. That conversation figures to continue as they adapt to how next year unfolds.

However, given their track record, their intelligence, and their maturity, trust that they'll figure out how best to work together to lead this franchise. Their body of work proves that they know how to do that and consistently achieve a high level of success. That includes raising Banner 18 to the TD Garden rafters.

Furthermore, if Tatum was returning to a situation where this wasn't a discussion, where Brown had validated his skeptics belief that he's an elite No. 2 option, but not a No. 1, certainly not on a winning team, then, frankly, returning to a situation that was more or less status quo from before his injury, the prospect of them guiding the Celtics back to the NBA summit might not be realistic.

Brown seizing this opportunity the way he has, growing as he shoulders more responsibility, was likely essential to Boston's championship hopes.