Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown put their friendship aside for a few hours during Celtics practice, as the All-Star duo went head-to-head during a game of ‘King of the court’, basically a 1-on-1 game that has the ‘Make it, take it rule’ in effect. It is unclear from the clip who won, but there is no doubt that both players look hungry and locked in for the upcoming NBA season.
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown playing King of the Court 🔥
(via @celtics)
— Overtime (@overtime) September 29, 2024
Both Tatum and Randle are coming off their best years in the NBA, from an accolades standpoint. The pair helped secure their first championship together with the Celtics, with Jaylen Brown being named Finals MVP for the effort he showed in the series against the Mavericks last year.
And while Tatum struggled during playoffs last year, there is no doubt that his contributions made a massive impact regardless. Tatum himself admitted that it wasn’t his time to win Finals MVP ahead of Jaylen Brown and that he was happy for Brown to earn the accolade.
Tatum and Brown will both have massive chips on their shoulders regarding the 2024 Olympics – with Brown not being selected and Tatum barely getting any playtime in Paris – to show why they are two of the best players in the NBA and the best duo in the league.
The All-Star duo won’t have to do it all by themselves, as the Celtics have arguably the deepest roster in the NBA. During the Celtics’ media day, Jaylen Brown explained how they can play through some of their role players like Payton Pritchard and Sam Houser against weaker teams and still walk away with the win.
The luxury of a deep, stacked roster is not afforded to all teams in the NBA, so Brown and Tatum will enjoy that and rely on them whenever needed. But they will also deliver when the lights are on brightest.
Jayson Tatum Still Has Something To Prove
Despite winning an NBA championship last season, there are many who doubt Jayson Tatum as a star-level player. And while Tatum is a superstar in the NBA and one of the best, he doesn’t do himself many favors when addressing criticisms about his career in the media.
During the Celtics’ media day, Tatum bizarrely compared his career success at age 27 to that of Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Stephen Curry at the same age. What Tatum failed to mention what the roster he has had in the years since he joined the NBA, compared to the rosters all three legends had to contend with.
Furthermore, Tatum notably left off his idol, Kobe Bryant, as that would have nullified his argument, as Bryant was already a three-time NBA champion and four-time NBA Finalist by the time he was 27.
Of course, Tatum is incredibly talented, both on the offensive and defensive end of the court. But this past playoff run was a disappointment from an individual standpoint, and despite him winning a championship, he didn’t do much to shut down the naysayers who have doubted his playoff elevation and killer instinct.
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