The Boston Celtics are Jayson Tatum’s team; there’s simply no doubt about it.
Every move they’ve made has been thinking of him and with him as their centerpiece, and they’ve never included him in any potential trade rumors, as opposed to what has happened with Jaylen Brown.
Nonetheless, Stephen A. Smith believes that as talented as Tatum is, Brown has been the most consistent Celtics player over the past couple of postseasons.
.@stephenasmith believes Jaylen Brown has been more reliable than Jayson Tatum in the playoffs 👀
“Jayson Tatum is the best player on the team, he is not the best player in the postseason over the last two years. … Jaylen Brown has been a more reliable asset for the Celtics.” pic.twitter.com/GZfkpk6ysV
— First Take (@FirstTake) May 5, 2023
Notably, Tatum has been a legit MVP candidate in the past two campaigns, and he looks like a generational talent ready to set all kinds of marks for one of the most storied franchises in the game.
But as great as he is, and as high as his upside may seem, Tatum has often underperformed in the postseason.
Brown, on the other hand, has been quite good and reliable on both ends of the floor in the regular season, and he’s taken his game up a notch in the playoffs.
Tatum was far from his best level in last year’s NBA Finals, while Brown brought his A-game night in and night out.
Of course, it might also have to do with the fact that defenses tend to focus more on Tatum and a little less on Brown, especially come playoff time.
But he’s proven to be more than capable of getting to his spots even against the best defenders on Earth, so maybe it’s just a matter of his mindset.
Whatever the case, Tatum needs to step up if the Celtics are to win their league-leading 18th banner.
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