Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown can score with the best of them. Now it's time for them to work on their ball distribution.
On a recent episode of ESPN's "Jalen & Jacoby," Celtics head coach Ime Udoka said he would like to see Boston's two young All-Stars facilitate more offensive opportunities for their teammates.
"We have multiple handlers, multiple playmakers, and that's the area we need to see growth with Jaylen and Jayson," Udoka said. "It's not just scoring the basketball. It's those guys initiating offense and being better playing because that's the next step in their evolution."
Tatum and Brown are already improving their passing, as they both averaged career-highs in assists during the 2020-21 campaign. Tatum averaged 4.3 assists per game, whereas Brown averaged 3.4
With Dennis Schroder joining the team, Tatum and Brown shouldn't be forced to bring up the ball as much as they did last season in Kemba Walker's absence. But as the Celtics' top scorers, they should handle the ball more than anybody else.
That means they'll have the power to control how the Celtics' offense operates. During bad stretches last year, the Celtics were prone to playing isolation ball, in which all floor movement basically stopped.
For the offense to flow, the ball needs to be passed around. Udoka is counting on Tatum and Brown to do just that.
