Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have accomplished much in their careers thus far. Together, they’ve led the Boston Celtics to four Eastern Conference Finals appearances in six seasons, while earning numerous All-Star and All-NBA nods in the process. Now entering their primes, the tandem is the bedrock of a Celtics team poised to compete for a title this season and beyond.
Still, there have been doubts about the pairing along the way. Fans and commentators alike have questioned whether or not the fit makes sense long-term. According to WNBA superstar Candace Parker, however, coming up short in the past shouldn’t define what Tatum and Brown are capable of moving forward. As Parker explained to Sports Illustrated’s Bobby Krivitsky, she sees growth in Boston’s two All-Stars as a sign of optimism.
Buy Celtics Tickets“I get they didn’t win Game Seven,” Parker said of last year’s conference finals. “But I don’t think (that) everything is broken. I think they’re going to continue to get better.”
The St. Louis native cracked the top five in 2023 MVP voting last season. https://t.co/rc5KTzvmHt
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) September 15, 2023
Parker was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2008 WNBA draft, winning two titles in 15 seasons. The two-time WNBA MVP provides commentary for TNT’s NBA coverage and signed with the Las Vegas Aces in February of this year.
Parker explained to Krivitsky that Tatum and Brown have sometimes struggled in the past because they’ve defaulted to running isolation plays too often. She believes this dynamic looked different last season, and that the duo was sharing the ball with each other and the rest of the Celtics with more frequency and fluency.
She believes adding Porzingis into the mix will also take pressure off of Tatum and Brown, but adding new pieces always takes time to gel. “I think (that) Kristaps can provide that gap a little bit,” she explained.
There’s been speculation the move might have been influenced by the Nuggets ascent in recent seasons. https://t.co/h0SCUe7mFO
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) September 15, 2023
“It took the Warriors a little bit of time to figure out their rotations as well,” Parker said. “in terms of how much time to have (Stephen) Curry (and) Klay (Thompson) on the court. They added KD (Kevin Durant) to the mix, (and) Klay would go in at the beginning of the second quarter and kind of fill that gap. So, I think it’s going to be interesting to see how that’s managed.”
Even the best teams and players need a bit of a runway to find a rhythm and get things off the ground. Tatum and Brown look cleared for take off with the 2023-24 season set to tip in a few weeks.
“I don’t think you could have come back with the same core,” said Parker. https://t.co/Syt0YROLd8
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) September 15, 2023
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