After struggling to begin the season, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and the Boston Celtics have the Eastern Conference’s best record since mid-January.
There was a lot of frustration earlier this season, as the Celtics could not get things right, and many began to wonder if Tatum and Brown should be split up.
The Celtics, who have been road warriors recently, have a young core that has a good track record:
Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum have been to the Eastern Conference Finals 2x together
Neither of them is older than 25
And some people think the duo has run its course and they should break up …
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣😭😭🤣🤣🤣🤣
— Ben Stinar (@BenStinar) March 1, 2022
Not only do Tatum and Brown have playoff experience, but they have been a part of winning Celtics teams.
In their regular season careers, which have coincided since the Celtics drafted Tatum in 2017, they each have at least 215 wins.
Here are the Celtics regular season records with each player:
- Jayson Tatum: 215-133 (.618)
- Jaylen Brown: 235-151 (.609)
They also have won quite a few playoff games.
Here are their playoff records:
- Jayson Tatum: 27-23 (.540)
- Jaylen Brown: 33-28 (.541)
Both Tatum and Brown have played well with Boston, and since Brown was drafted in 2016, the Celtics have had a .500 record or better every year.
Boston has made the postseason in every one of those seasons as well.
With all the strong performances by the “Jays,” how did we get to people thinking they should no longer be playing together?
Why Were People Calling For The Tatum-Brown Split?
The beginning of the 2021-22 season was the start of new beginnings for the green.
Brad Stevens moved upstairs and took on an executive role, replacing Danny Ainge.
Ime Udoka manned the sidelines as a head coach for the first time in his career.
The Celtics seemed to be merely average throughout the first few months, as they held a 16-19 record on December 29, 2021.
Many NBA pundits thought it was over for a Celtics team that just could not get over the hump.
The injury-riddled Celtics did not play well, and they did not seem to be able to get their record above .500 consistently.
Then, people were asking: should Tatum go?
Alternatively, should Brown be sent to Philadelphia for Ben Simmons?
These questions were asked well before Simmons was swapped for Harden.
However, the answers to each of the questions were a resounding “no.”
Why is that?
Do Not Break Up Tatum And Brown
The Celtics’ last three-game losing streak came in late December.
Afterward, the Celtics began to put together some short winning streaks.
Then, there was the nine-game win streak that made practically everyone change their mind.
Behind tremendous defense and a core four of Tatum, Brown, Marcus Smart, and Rob Williams, the Celtics seemingly cannot be stopped:
Celtics
Are (14-1, .933) in their last 15 games when Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart and Rob Williams all 4 play in a game, with a total differential of +255
And
Are (21-9, .700) for the season
When at least 1 of the 4 doesn't play – (14-17, .452)
stay healthy pic.twitter.com/sojygdFzGV
— Boston Sports Info (@bostonsportsinf) February 25, 2022
The Celtics have been a very strong basketball team in 2022, but they have to continue to stay healthy.
Unfortunately, Brown went down with an ankle sprain on Tuesday night, but the argument still remains the same.
Tatum and Brown are here to stay, and they are a force to be reckoned with in the NBA.
The Celtics may seem like a dark horse for now, but they may become a contender within the next year.
As long as this dynamic duo is together — and maybe Rob Williams makes a jump to the next level — this Celtics team has a lot of potential.
NEXT: The Celtics Have Become Road Warriors