Jaylen Brown of Celtics on collaboration with Jayson Tatum: “I understand why people always try to break up duos”

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By Webdesk



Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown sat down for another lengthy interview on Tuesday, this time with Shams Charania. During the conversation, he discussed his relationship with several teammates, including Jayson Tatum, with whom he has played for six seasons.

The partnership between Tatum and Brown has long been dissected, both in the local and national media. While they’ve made the playoffs together every season since they started playing together in 2017, there have been calls at various times for them to break up and try something new.

“I understand why people are always trying to break up duos,” Brown said. “Because until now [Jayson and I] have been incredibly successful. Hopefully we can be even more, the only thing that would put the ribbon on top is a championship.”

While Tatum has been the proverbial favorite son since his arrival in 2017 and has emerged as the bigger star in recent years, things haven’t changed between them, according to Brown.

“I think we both really love this game and want to keep improving,” said Brown. “We compete, push each other, we learn from each other. I think a lot of our relationship is built on that dynamic of respect. I think that’s the beauty of it. JT, I see him come to work every day and prepare. He sees me come in and prepare every day.

“Jayson is the ultimate version of him, but that doesn’t stop me from being the ultimate version of myself. He scores 50 points, he’s MVP, he’s All-Star MVP, it’s all celebrated. He gets the gold medal, you can see pictures of me celebrating his gold medal with him. That gives me genuine joy and I appreciate him sharing those moments. Right now, in a way, we are part of each other’s destiny.”

Tatum and Brown will indeed be intertwined no matter how long they keep playing together. With Brown signed through 2024, they should have at least two more playoff runs, but otherwise it’s a gamble.

Brown’s contract situation is complicated. Unless he makes an All-NBA team this season, he will be able to make significantly more money by waiting until he gets unlimited free agency in 2024, after which he can sign with any team. Then there are some of his recent comments about his Boston experience, which haven’t always been the best. He criticized some of the fan base for being “toxic” and when asked by The Ringer about his futurehe said he didn’t know how long he would stay in Boston.

“We’ll see how they feel about me over time and I feel about them over time,” Brown said. “Hopefully, whatever it is, it makes sense. I’ll stay where I’m wanted. I’ll stay where I’m needed and be treated right.”

The possibility of Brown leaving next year only adds to the pressure the Celtics face heading into the playoffs. This could be one of Tatum and Brown’s last chances to win a title together.





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