The Boston Celtics are in an interesting situation as they look to the NBA offseason. With the injury to Jayson Tatum towards the end of Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, the Celtics will now have to look to Jaylen Brown as their leader moving forward. After the non-contact injury to Tatum’s right leg, there are serious concerns about not just the near and far future of the C’s. It’s been confirmed that Jayson tore his right Achilles tendon and has already had surgery to repair the injury. However, that leaves one looming question. Can Brown step up and be the first option while JT is recovering? Well, his wild salary not withstanding, we actually think he can be that number 1 option to lead them to a championship.
In the past, Jaylen Brown has been everything Boston needs him to be and more. Since he was drafted in 2016, Brown can defend, he can score, and he can create scoring opportunities for his teammates. With Jayson Tatum out of the spotlight with a lengthy recovery, Brown will absolutely need to step up his game and lead this team. Jaylen is coming off a championship season with Boston in which he won the Finals MVP award over Tatum. Boston has struggled from time to time, even with Jayson Tatum in the lineup. The few blown leads during their series with the New York Knicks are undeniable, and inexcusable considering their talent. However, with Tatum already having surgery to repair his right Achilles tendon, the star has a recovery time of around 9-12 months, if not longer considering the nature of this injury. Jaylen Brown will have ample time to shape the Celtics to his liking as he is now their number one option, and ownership can try to assemble a team that fits his playstyle.
Jaylen Brown Needs To Step Up Without Jayson Tatum
With that being said, the 2024 champs didn’t give up, even against a healthy New York team and it started with Jaylen’s grit and mentality. He had to be the one to get the ball rolling here, but he just quite couldn’t get it done while down 3-2 in the series and missing such a pivotal part of the offense. With the absence of Tatum, Brown has been thrown into the leadership role. He will have to set the tone if the Celtics want a chance at winning another championship next season. Jaylen is capable of putting up huge scoring numbers. As a downhill dribble-drive slasher, there aren’t many in the league better than Brown. Although he has had somewhat of a struggle in this series against the Knicks., as he is clearly nursing what seems to be an injured knee, which was confirmed as he has a partially torn right meniscus, which was obvious as he lacked the ability to finish like he normally does.
Although the Celtics have still been able to outscore other teams without Tatum in the past due to their defensive abilities and stellar bench players. Without JT to spread the floor, Brown will have to take and adjust his shot selection slightly. Compounding the issue is the fact the league’s best defenders will be thrown at Brown since they will no longer have to chase Jayson around the floor all game. He hasn’t had to prove himself against this level of attention before, but every true superstar in the league, from Luka, Giannis, Lebron, has been able to take on this challenge and lead their teams. If Jaylen wantsd to justify his asking price, he is going to have to do that for the C’s.
In the wake of Tatum’s Achilles injury, Boston has to shift their lineup to what many call “small-ball.” Losing Jayson’s size at the forward position definitely hurts, but the Celtics may be the deepest team in the NBA. Shifting to a smaller but faster lineup to push the tempo could work, but they need to make some key additions this off season to run with that style of play for a whole season. Outrunning their opponents will be key. However, it could be hard to win games against other, healthier teams that like to get out and run. Teams like the Indiana Pacers and the New York Knicks could pose a threat to the small-ball lineup, especially as Horford ages and based on how his own knee heals this offseason. He will have to be the trend setter, and with his numbers and playstyle, a healthy Jaylen Brown can easily do that for Boston.
What’s Next for JB’s Boston Celtics?
As the Boston Celtics look to stay relevant, fans will surely look back on 2024’s title run and hope they see Finals MVP Jaylen Brown. The champs will have to be playing near-perfect basketball, and look back at this seasons playoffs for inspiration to get better.
Jaylen Brown has the talent to take this Boston Celtics team to the top of the NBA mountain once again. A new Celtics era is about to unfold. If he keeps his dangerous three point shooting, and adds more interior offense to his game, then he can easily be the number one option, and justify his 300 million dollar contract.
