During an interview with NBA reporter Jeff Goodman of The Messenger, Boston Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum talked about his partnership with Jaylen Brown. The Celtics have made it to the Eastern Conference Finals four times and played in one NBA Finals in the Tatum-Brown era.
However, Tatum knows critics won’t stop trying to break him and Brown apart until they win a championship with the Celtics.
“I’m still 25 and he’ll be 27 in two months,” Tatum said. “We’re far from perfect. We won’t ever get the credit we deserve until we actually win a championship. That is the ultimate goal, but you can’t bypass all the things we’ve accomplished in the six years we’ve been teammates at a very young age. We’ve been to the playoffs every single year, we’ve gotten better.
“Yes, it took some time to figure out how we can be as special as we can be, and how we can co-exist and do it together. I know everybody says, ‘They take turns.’ I feel like we got to a place where we were feeding off each other, playing really well.”
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics Updates
Brown averaged 26.6 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 2022-23 for the Celtics while shooting 49.1% from the field, 33.5% from beyond the arc and 76.5% from the free-throw line. He was eligible to sign a designated veteran extension because he made an All-NBA team last season. Brown signed a five-year, supermax extension worth up to $303 million.
Brown is slated to make $52.3 million when the contract kicks in during the 2024-25 season and $69.1 million in 2028-29, the final year of the deal. He was not eligible for a no-trade clause because he signed an extension.
Tatum, who averaged 30.1 points, 8.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists last season, told reporters after the Miami Heat won Game 7 of the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals in Boston that it was “extremely important” for Brown to be back next season. Tatum and Brown are close friends.
Boston will look different next season after trading Marcus Smart to the Memphis Grizzlies and Grant Williams to the Dallas Mavericks and acquiring Kristaps Porzingis from the Washington Wizards. The Celtics’ new Big 3 of Brown, Tatum and Porzingis will look to lead the franchise to title No. 18.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics Updates
Brown has career averages of 17.9 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists with the Celtics. Meanwhile, Tatum has career averages of 22.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists. It will be fascinating to see if Boston wins a championship during the Brown-Tatum era.
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