With all the attention being focused on Boston Celtics All-Star forward Jayson Tatum, you wouldn’t be surprised if fourth-year shooting guard Jaylen Brown got a little jealous.
But that’s precisely the opposite of what we are seeing from the former No. 3 overall pick towards the player taken by the same team in the same draft position one year later.
Displaying a maturity well beyond his 23 years, the Georgian instead welcomes the love for his teammate taking the next step.
After another offensive eruption against the Portland Trail Blazers Tuesday night, Brown spoke with team reporter Marc D’Amico about his feelings on Tatum’s sudden rise.
“You gotta want for your brother what you want for yourself,” he offered sagely.
“There’s a lot of guys in this league that are super talented, but a lot of them don’t know how to win or be leaders … So, as I’m learning, I think that’s an important part of the game that people forget about,” he added.
And it’s not like Brown is suddenly being lapped by his younger teammate — far from it, actually, with the Cal-Berkeley product averaging 20.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game this season.
The Marietta native has taken a fairly huge step forward himself this season, showing improved passing, handle, and body control that’s elevated him to become a top-30 scorer in the league.
The tandem have shown an amazing ability to feed off each other’s activity.
Brown uses Tatum’s newfound attention to drop daggers from beyond the arc under cover, and Tatum employs Brown’s novel capabilities as he drives, changing speed to draw contact, or dishing to the former Blue Devil, now open himself.
“We’ve both kinda taken leaps this year, and so it’s been fun,”said Tatum of the growth the Jay Team has undergone this year. “He’s been playing great all season, and he’s one of the biggest reasons why we’ve been winning.”
And the Duke product is very aware of the dynamic behind that winning being more than just a general feeling of goodwill towards teammates. In sacrificing for each other from top to bottom, Boston has managed to achieve a balance of egos and interests that was beyond their reach last season.
“That’s the sign of a good team, said Tatum. “We all enjoy playing with each other. It’s different guys every night.”
“Everybody just wants to win,” he added. “That’s the biggest thing.”
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