The relationship between Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown has long fascinated Celtics fans.
It makes sense. They are the Celtics franchise pillars at 25 and 27 years of age, having guided Boston to four Eastern Conference Finals and a subsequent NBA Finals appearance in 2022 in just six and a half years of playing together.
Two star players coexisting isn’t always a walk in the park, and for the Jays, fostering their relationship has proven to be just as gradual and rewarding as it is for any duo – maturing with time.
“I think over the last few years, we’ve taken strides of coexisting together. Getting the best out of each other while being the best versions of ourselves and the leaders that our team needs us to be,” Tatum said in a recent interview with ESPN. “I think it’s part of just getting older and maturing. [We’re] both still relatively young guys. Understanding that this is our time and we need to take full advantage of it. It’s going to pay off in the long run.”
After spending nearly seven years together, navigating through highs and lows, the bond between the Jays is unmistakably strong. The narrative of their discord is now a thing of the past, and frankly, it was a foolish narrative from the outset.
“The most important thing is separating the two. They have been lumped together for such a long time. They are different people, different players. They’re different types of leaders,” Joe Mazzulla said on the relationship of the Jays. “Just because they are both young and play a relatively [similar] position, they’ve always been the two of them. A goal of mine has been to separate them. They are different in how they go about things, and they don’t have to be similar. They don’t have to be best friends. What they have is mutual respect for each other, the way they go about their professionalism [and] the way they prepare for games. They are growing and understanding that they need each other.”
In their seventh season, Brown and Tatum’s tenure together is tied with Nikola Joikic and Jamal Murray as the longest-running in the league. Despite not being commonly regarded as “best friends” off the court, their undeniable bond serves as a catalyst for Boston’s success throughout the Tatum and Brown era.
For those who still question the dynamics of Tatum and Brown’s relationship, The Ringer’s Bill Simmons provided further insight into their strong bond in the latest episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast.
“The All-Star game, when everybody was going for MVP, it hit that point,” Simmons said. “The East was up 20. So Dame [Lillard] was in there, [Tyrese] Haliburton, and Jaylen Brown was going for it. And Tatum went to Doc Rivers, and he said, ‘Give Jaylen my minutes. I want to see him get MVP.’”
Rivers complied, and although the award ultimately went to Lillard, Tatum’s gesture underscored the strength of Tatum and Brown’s bond.
If this current iteration of the Celtics is going to raise Banner 18, it starts with the Jays. The two All-NBA wings need each other, and they understand that.
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