The Boston Celtics starred in one of the most curious moments of this week when Marcus Smart called out teammates Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. The point guard wasn’t happy with the star duo not passing the ball, claiming they need to learn how to play if the team wants to be successful.
“Every team knows we’re trying to go to Jayson and Jaylen. Every team is programmed and studied to stop Jayson and Jaylen. I think everybody’s scouting report is to make those guys pass the ball. They don’t want to pass the ball. That’s something that they’re going to learn. They’re still learning.”
Previously, Jaylen Brown and Brad Stevens had responded to these remarks, both saying that these issues should be discussed privately.
Jayson Tatum reacted to the criticism after the Celtics’ heartbreaking loss against the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday night, reminding people that he knows how to play basketball and has achieved many things on the court.
“We talked about it, and we had a team meeting, I guess. I know how to play basketball. I’ve been doing it a long time, and I’m pretty successful at it,” Tatum told reporters postgame, according to The Athletic’s Jared Weiss.
“I’m not perfect. I’ve got things I can work on,” Tatum added. “I think that’s the good part about it. As young as I am, as good as people think I am, I’ve got a lot to improve on, and I’ll be the first one to say that.”
Jayson Tatum finally speaks about Marcus Smart's criticisms of his fourth quarter play from Monday. pic.twitter.com/RuLZTF5twQ
— Jared Weiss (@JaredWeissNBA) November 7, 2021
It’s unclear what kind of team the Celtics are. They’re not good enough to be title contenders but also not bad to be a lottery team. They have two good players in Tatum and Brown, but the supporting cast must be better if they want to go against the Eastern Conference powerhouses Milwaukee Bucks and Brooklyn Nets.
These issues don’t help them, either, and they need to figure things out before things get out of control.
