In an NBA where the forwards are the ones who mark the potential of each team, having two of the most absolute aggressive elite as it is Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown It’s a luxury only within walking distance of Boston Celtics. However, to get to this point where they form an unstoppable combination in attack theThey had to learn to coexist and not step on each other. But it is one thing not to disturb each other and another to complement each other. The Jays have finally achieved that status.
To form a pair that works together in the NBA means that they feed back, that one contributes to the other what the other lacks, or that they are constantly connected. This is easier the more different the positions. Namely, an interior will form a more natural connection to a base and vice versa that enters two figures who share a position and a role on the field. Hence the complexity of what the Celtics attempted by selecting Brown and Tatum in back-to-back Drafts (2016 and 2017).
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Having overcome the evil turnismo that characterized the performance of both in the past, the next hurdle for the Jays was to raise the level of their game, enrich it and, ultimately, make it more complete. Months after failing to win the ring, Brown and Tatum are at their respective bests, which are on the same line. This is the only way to explain how after the hurricane that shook the green franchise weeks before the start of the course they managed to establish themselves as the leader of the East and the most effective offense in the NBA.
Putting the magnifying glass on the game and putting the score aside for a moment, the area these two stars prefer when creating options for the rest is the elbows. From there observe, read and perform, either with a direct pass down the field or movement or by putting the ball on the ground and passing through the opposition defense to create an advantage:
Although, as is always the case with both, it’s not so much the final assists they get, but the quantity and quality of the options they create, as the ball keeps rolling after sharing.
Even so, the connection between the two exists and works:
| half passes | % of total passes | assist | % success on shots | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| From Brown to Tatum | 6.0 | 16.1% | 0.8 | 39.2% |
| From Tatum to Brown | 7.3 | 15.9% | 0.9 | 43.3% |
Digging into the question of scoring, the key to making Tatum and Brown the best offensive pairing in the NBA today lies in how they can fill different roles in the same system. Since one is the main operator and therefore the other has to wait for his moment or make his life easier, as it is the duty of the other half of the twin.
They both shoot practically the same after the pass (Jalen’s 5.2 to Jayson’s 4.8), as well as off the dribble (Jason’s 6.4 to Jaylen’s 5.7). All this with volume leads very similar (11.3 for Brown to 10.5 for Tatum).
What do all these numbers mean? which the two represent a new version than what was assumed Splash Brothers in the middle of the last five years. While they lived creating off the ball with a Curry who was unstoppable off the dribble, the Celtics figures to execute both situations with no low volume. His next goal is not easy to achieve and it has to do with increase your rates slightly in both sectors.
The most prolific scoring duo in Celtics history
his story Boston Celtics It is the biggest and richest in the entire NBA. One of the two franchises that were from the beginning in the same city and with the same name. Some of the most important and recognizable names in the league have passed through its facilities, which need no introduction.
Despite being a winning organization almost every decade No one averages more than 30 points in a season. Larry Bird was his closest 29.9 in 1988.
In fact, only three names were able to finish above 27 goals on average: Larry Bird (3 times), John Havlicek (2) and Isaiah Thomas (2016-2017).
All this could become a thing of the past if Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum continue at this level. The first adds 27.0 points per night while the second has been installed with 31.1 points.
And that was made possible thanks to parties like the one they had against the Houston Rockets where they added 39 and 38 respectively, it was the second occasion on which both scored more than 35 in the same duel. In doing so, they became the first pair in Celtics history to pull off two such back-to-back nights.
These are all the instances in which two players from the green franchise have scored more than 35 points in the same game:
| Number | Date | Pair of | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | November 15, 1959 | Bob Cousy and Bill Sharman | 38 and 35 |
| 2 | February 25, 1970 | John Havlicek and Don Nelson | 36 and 40 |
| 3 | January 18, 1978 | Billy Knight and Sidney Wicks | 37 and 35 |
| 4 | March 17, 1985 | Larry Bird and Robert Parish | 48 and 38 |
| 5 | January 16, 1987 | Larry Bird and Kevin McHale | 35 and 38 |
| 6 | November 8, 2006 | Paul Pierce and Wally Szczerbiak | 35 and 35 |
| 7 | April 28, 2021 | Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum | 38 and 35 |
| 8 | October 18, 2022 | Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum | 35 and 35 |
| 9 | December 27, 2022 | Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum | 39 and 38 |
Source: Basketball Reference
The highest-rated Tatum and Brown level pairings
The NBA is going through a period of offensive growth that seems to have no end in sight. More and more are being rated and there are more and more players with higher individual averages, a direct consequence of more triples being shot. That doesn’t make what Tatum and Brown are doing any easier.
As mentioned a little above, the two green marquees are coming both averaging over 27 points. In the event of an extension of this moment to the rest of the season (around 58%) they would become the third pair to achieve something similar.
The first case occurred in 1964-1965 campaign where Jerry West (31.0) and Elgin Baylor (27.1) they set a scoring record for two players on the same team. The second has a certain asterisk since it was the 2019-2020, a campaign split in two, played at two different times and where 82 games were not achieved. Those responsible for accomplishing this feat were James Harden (34.3) and Russell Westbrook (27.2).
Will the Celtics stars be the first in nearly 60 years to do so in 82 games?
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