During his time with the Celtics, it’s not like Jaylen Brown ever came out and said anything disparaging about Jayson Tatum. For the most part, he was a great teammate and leader for the Celtics. But it also always seemed that Brown thought he was Tatum’s equal and viewed the pair as co-stars.
That’s certainly part of being a competitor and a pro athlete, and JB was a star in his own right, making All-NBA teams and All-Star games. But it always felt like there was some kind of competition between the Jays, and they pushed each other, for better or worse.
We may never know what Brown actually believed or how he felt about the situation, but the way he played and some of his comments over the years suggested that he viewed himself as an alpha who shouldn’t be a sidekick to anyone.
Brown and Tatum shared a friendly rivalry for years
And it’s not that there’s anything wrong with that. Again, part of what made JB such a great player was probably his supreme confidence and competitive spirit. But it’s hard not to notice the stark contrast with the approach we’ve heard preached by Paul George since being traded to Boston in the JB deal.
In his introductory press conference, George spoke about how he doesn’t need to be a superstar, since the team already has one in Tatum, and that he’s there to complement JT rather than be a co-star. Refreshing, to say the least.
Then, in a recent interview with 98.5 The Sports Hub, PG took it a step further and explained that his goal is to help Tatum get into the MVP conversation.
"I know what value I bring. I know what I'm capable of. I know I can be a 20-point scorer if I need to. I know I can guard and lock up the best player if I need to. Like, I know how much value I bring to the game. I don't have to be known as the 'guy'. I still can have an imprint on the game with every role and any role that I have. JT is the guy. I want to... help him be in that MVP conversation."
George has said all the right things since trade to Boston
George is not here to be a one-for-one replacement for Brown. He’s not at the same point in his career as Brown. And at this moment, he’s probably not as good an overall player as Brown. Still, it’s hard not to notice the way that he’s talking about his partnership with Tatum after nearly a decade of a somewhat awkward Brown-Tatum pairing.
I’m not saying that George is intentionally gearing his messaging to cater to Celtics fans and Tatum fans. But I also think PG is smart and knows the situation he’s stepping into and the one that existed with Brown in town.
At the same time, everything George is saying is objectively true, and the Celtics clearly want a team that’s built around Tatum as the superstar alpha-dog. It’s great to hear that PG gets that and that he’s 100% bought in. It’s in his own best interest, and it also happens to be what’s best for the team. For now, it’s just words, but hopefully, this credo translates to the court, we see the best version of Jayson Tatum, and the Celtics can climb back to the top of the basketball world.
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