Everything has been hunky dory for the Celtics since Jayson Tatum made his incredible return from a torn achilles after just under 10 months. As the days go by, JT looks better and better, and the Cs are rounding into form, looking like legitimate title contenders, and they’ve already become betting favorites to win the East.
Nobody could have imagined things going this well, and with a month left in the regular season, everything falling into place has been a dream come true. But there has been one unfortunate downside to it all. It won’t matter in the grand scheme of things, but it’s impossible to deny that Tatum’s return has slowed down Jaylen Brown’s momentum for MVP and first-team All-NBA.
Brown has kept the team afloat all season, putting together one elite performance after another, boasting some of the best stats in the league, putting up career highs across the board, and definitively proving that he can be a first option on a contending team.
He deserved all the praise and accolades he was getting, and the fact that he was in the discussion with the top players for a top-5 MVP finish and a spot on first-team All-NBA was a testament to the burden he carried every single night.
Now that Tatum is back in the fold, the Celtics have another legitimate first option who can bend the floor with his gravity. Things have already gotten much easier for Brown, and everything about the Celtics’ team fits together and makes more sense on both ends of the floor.
The team is already looking better, and to have a real chance at winning it all, they need Tatum and Brown operating together at full strength. They’re quickly moving towards that, and in the moments when it’s all clicking, they look just about unstoppable.
JB falling out of MVP and first-team All-NBA discussions
At the same time, understandably, Brown’s production has taken a small dip. It’s not that he has taken a backseat, but he’s letting Tatum get into a rhythm and allowing the team to find its form that will be best for their chances of making a Finals run. It’s the right decision, and it’s what’s best for the Celtics, but it’s removing some of the shine from his individual season.
Jaylen was squarely in the mix right behind the top guys like Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Victor Wembanyama. But the way things are trending, rightfully or not, he may well get passed up by the likes of Cade Cunningham, Luka Doncic, Kawhi Leonard, and others.
He’s still going to make an All-NBA team, but it may no longer be first. And he’ll still finish top-10 for MVP, but probably not top-5. It’s not totally fair, as Brown is yet again choosing to sacrifice individually for the good of the team, but the narrative around him is already changing, and even a small drop off in stats will open the door for others.
It shouldn’t matter, and it’s not like he was going to win MVP anyway, but it’s a shame that he may not get the full recognition he deserves. Luckily, Celtics fans and players don’t care, and there’s much more important hardware to win in June that will make all of these talks feel meaningless.