Another year and another heartbreaking finish for Celtics fans. After making the finals last year Boston fans were ready to get there again and the truth is, the Celtics should’ve been in the finals. They had the talent and the firepower, yet they let Miami get a 3-0 start on them.
They almost brought it back but almost doesn’t count when we are talking championships. Now Celtics fans are out for blood, they want to blame someone and unfortunately for him, Jaylen Brown seems to be the unanimous scapegoat.
There’s been a lot of talk since last year about how the pairing of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum has run its course. Those talks dissipated once they made the finals last year but immediately started back up once the Celtics fell behind in their series against Miami. It’s normal for NBA fans to overreact but some have taken it to another level with Jaylen Brown.
It’s as if they don’t understand how lucky this team is to have hit the jackpot on back-to-back drafts. Their stars turned this team into an immediate title contender in Tatum’s rookie year. Both are two way threats and are easily two of the best 20 players in the league.
They barely miss games and they haven’t even hit their prime yet! I strongly disagree with the idea that trading Brown will make them better. Let’s look at the Celtics since Brown and Tatum started playing together and compare their playoff numbers to make my case.
Celtics Luck
Jaylen Brown was selected by the Boston Celtics as the third overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft. The following year the Celtics selected Jayson Tatum with the third overall pick, in the 2017 NBA draft. This was the same year Kyrie was traded to the Celtics and they signed Gordon Hayward.
We all remember the injury Hayward suffered that caused him to miss the entire season and seemed to have derailed the Celtic’s plans. Then during a successful first year with his new team, Kyrie Irving suffered an injury that would force him to miss the playoffs.
Boston was in trouble, losing both their all-stars and nobody expected what would happen next. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown both stepped up big time! The Celtics finished with the 2nd best record in the East.
They took out Joel Embiid and Antetokounmpo on their way to the Eastern Conference Finals. And pushed Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers to 7 games. It took a vintage Lebron performance to hold off the young Celtics. This was a sign of things to come!
After a promising first year, Tatum and Brown were ready to prove their run wasn’t a fluke. The 2018-19 season looked promising. Kyrie Irving was back, and Gordon Hayward was expected to join the team later in the season. With the arrival of Tatum and Brown the previous year this team was ready to make a deep run.
With LeBron James now in the West, the Celtics were an easy favorite. As the season went on it was clear something was off. Reports kept coming out saying the chemistry in the locker room wasn’t good, and at the center of it was Kyrie Irving.
As an outsider, there’s no telling what was really happening, but it started to show on the basketball court. They never figured things out, the Celtics finished as the 4th seed in the East and were out of the playoffs in the second round losing to the Bucks. A few weeks later Kyrie Irving signed with the Brooklyn Nets.
The Celtics New Era
No Kyrie, no problem! This was exactly the opportunity Tatum and Brown were hoping for. The young Celtics started the 2019-2020 season strong! Jason Tatum would go on to earn his first All-Star Game and All-NBA team. Brown barely missed being selected for the All-Star game as he was also having a breakthrough season.
They would still have to face adversity just like the rest of the league when the season was suspended due to the pandemic. When the season resumed in the bubble the Celtics finished the season as the 3rd seed and went on to put together another deep playoff run. They took out Philly and the Raptors but lost to the Miami Heat in the Conference Finals.
| Jayson Tatum | Stats | Jaylen Brown |
| 25.7 | PPG | 21.8 |
| 10 | AST | 7.5 |
| 5 | REB | 2.3 |
| 43% | FG% | 47% |
| 2.8 | TO | 2.4 |
The 2020-21 season was not good to the Celtics. They lead the NBA in total time missed due to COVID. They tried and failed the Kemba Walker experiment.
And Jaylen Brown was injured while having the best season in his career, he earned his first All-Star nod but missed the end of the season and the playoffs. The Celtics finished as the 7th seed and lost in the first round to the Nets.
Changing Things Up
After the worst year in the Celtic’s Tatum and Brown era, Boston changed some things up. Long-time Celtics staple Danny Ainge stepped down from his position as Boston Celtics president of basketball operations. Brad Stevens would be promoted to the role and new coach Ime Udoka would be tasked with leading this team in the 2021-22 season.
The beginning of the season wasn’t smooth by any means, the Celtics were 17–19 on January 1st. COVID-related absences seemed to be back to haunt the Celtics as they were top five in games lost during the first two months of the season. Add a new system and Jaylen Brown adjusting to coming back from injury and the team was struggling to develop chemistry.
But then, everything clicked! Jaylen Brown found his rhythm, the team bought into Udoka’s system and the Celtics turned around their season. They finished as the 2nd seed in the East, swept the Nets in the first round, and won 7 game series against both the Bucks and the Heat to make the NBA Finals. While they didn’t win the title, losing to the Warriors in 6 games, this was a sign of growth.
They turned their season around and beat every team that had eliminated them in the previous 3 years. A team that has shown their ability to learn and improve and a coach willing and able to press the right buttons to get them going. The expectations for the Tatum and Brown Celtics were as high as they’ve ever been.
No Excuses
But then Ime Udoka pressed the wrong button. The coach got himself fired for participating in extracurricular activities and the Celtics now needed a new coach. Joe Mazzulla got the nod, and the Celtics went to work. No excuses were made, and they just played ball during the hard times. Showing their maturity, they had a great season and both Tatum and Brown earned All-NBA honors.
The Celtics finished with the 2nd seed and eliminated the Hawks in the first round. Boston came back from a 2-3 hole to beat the 76ers in 7 games. They inexplicably put themselves in an even bigger hole, against Miami. Being down 0-3 they tied the series up at 3-3 and it felt as if they would be the first team to make the comeback.
But it was not meant to be as Jayson Tatum landed on Gabe Vincent’s foot and turned his left ankle on the first possession of Game 7. Tatum was visibly in pain and played 42 minutes wincing with every step he took. Miami, being the experienced team they are, attacked Tatum without mercy making him work on defense on every play. All things considered watching the game I didn’t feel like Miami was the better team.
Trade Talk? Crazy Talk
A lot of things must fall into place to win an NBA Championship, and consistency gives you a good chance. For the past 6 years, the Boston Celtics have been the most consistent team in the NBA. Amid drama between players, COVID, and coach scandals this team has found a way to make deep playoff runs 4 out of 6 times.
And yet the most important factor is that Tatum just turned 25 and Jaylen Brown turns 27 in October. Every other team in the league expect maybe Denver would love to be in the Celtics position, a successful young team with the best yet to come.
Boston has something special here and they would be fools to tear it down because of impatience. Jayson Tatum is the better player but pretending that Jaylen Brown is a hindrance to the team is laughable. Nevertheless there are no guarantees in the NBA but with Tatum and Brown leading the Celtics, I think they have a better shot than 99% of the league.
