The NBA’s evolution into positionless basketball has challenged some old notions about roster construction and how teams work.
Where once the delineation between point guard, shooting guard, small forward, power forward, and center was pretty clear, today’s game values multiple players of similar size and skill. This has put a premium on the 6’6”-6’9” multi-tool wing player who checks off as many boxes as possible. The pejorative “tweener” has been eliminated from the modern NBA lexicon.
The shift in the game has outpaced many people’s ability to process it, which leads to questions about Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, the two “pillars” of the Boston Celtics who have yet to fully realize their true potential together.
“I don't think it's a question of ‘can’ or ‘can not’ they play together,” head coach Ime Udoka said after day two of training camp. “It's been proven what they've done when they're healthy and together on the court.”
Their story is still very much being written, and they’ve certainly seen their fair share of success together on the court. They’ve also seen some level of failure, and that’s led to some speculation about their relationship.
The sports discourse places increased importance on these kinds of workplace relationships, and talking heads are always on alert for cracks that could divide a team.
“I think the media likes to dichotomize things and put one thing against the other like it has to be a Batman and a Robin. Or one guy and the other guy can’t be whatever,” Brown said. “We’re just two guys that can hoop and the reality is two guys that can hoop can coexist. But the media wants to kind of sometimes write the story that pulls us apart.
“But we talk a lot. We don’t let it bother us. We hear a lot of the things, comparisons, etc. But at the end of the day I want the best for him, he wants the best for me.”
There’s little doubt that what’s best for two up-and-coming young players trying to establish themselves in the league can clash from time to time. There’s no doubt that each has had at least some competing interests as they try to earn contracts and status in the NBA. That’s true of young players everywhere. However, Tatum and Brown have been able to navigate those waters.
“I think it’s centered around respect,” Brown said after the team’s Wednesday practice. “Jayson respects my work ethic. I respect his. We both put a lot into this game. Regardless of what I do off the court or what people think I do off the court, I put my energy and my heart and soul into this game. So I think our relationship is built around respect. I respect Jayson. I think he’s one of the best players in this game.”
Still, there’s more room for each to grow. Both are years away from their true primes, and with a new coach at the helm, both are going to learn to work together in a different system and under different guidance.
“Sometimes you don't appreciate what you have right next to you. That's something I'll stress to them,” Udoka said. “With us, it's a matter of trying to keep one of those two on the court the majority of the time. So we're staggering their minutes, when one is in and one is out, they have more of a chance to be aggressive and take advantage of matchups and things of that nature. But overall, they are who they are, we know that and it's just a matter of them growing as players.”
That growth could mean more time playing off each other on the floor. It could mean some sort of evolution in their personal games. But one thing Udoka is adamant about is that it involves making their teammates, and each other, better.
“He trusts us with the ball in our hands, he trusts me with the ball in my hands a lot more, being able to make plays for others,” Brown said. “It’s a great responsibility -- with great responsibility ... you know the Spiderman shit that everyone says ... Just trying to take care of the ball, make plays for others, make plays for myself, read the game, read the defense. Just continue to develop that basketball IQ.”
The Tatum and Brown relationship has been questioned by many, but it seems to be understood by few. When Tatum came home from winning gold with Team USA in Tokyo, he draped it over Brown’s neck at an event he attended for Brown’s personal merchandise in Las Vegas. It would have been a moment unseen by anyone had it not been for social media posts.
And that’s at the heart of this for Brown; the stuff you just don’t see is the stuff that matters most.
“I enjoy playing with Jayson. I really do. He’s a guy I trust out there to make plays,” Brown said. “And I know he trusts me out there as well. And sometimes that’s not always easy to find. We kind of started our careers together, we’ve won a lot of games here in Boston together at an early age, which is rare.
“It’s sometimes fascinating to me to see such an urgency to pit us against each other at times. But I could care less about what you read and see so it doesn’t really bother me none. I just try to come out and be a better version of myself. I want the best for my teammates and I want the best for myself as well. So we just take that one day at a time.”
