There’s still no assurance whether Jayson Tatum will be able to suit up for the Boston Celtics this new season following his Achilles injury in the second round of the last playoffs. Team’s other star Jaylen Brown will have to step up for him and he is ready to take the challenge.
The Celtics will not have Tatum’s 26 points per game but Brown, the team’s second best scorer last season, is confident about his ability.
“I feel like I’m very talented,” Brown told Noa Dalzell of CelticsBlog in July when asked to preview the 2025-26 season.
“I’m one of the talented people in this league, on this planet, I feel like. I’m looking forward to showing the world more.”
Aside from Tatum, the team’s core has already been dismantled. They no longer have Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday. Al Horford is likely gone, too.
They did acquire some players like Anfernee Simons who is is capable of scoring and Chris Boucher who will be tasked with the defense.
Paul Pierce on Jaylen Brown’s role
People will expect Brown to score more but for Celtics legend Paul Pierce, that should not be his focus. To him, JB must display an all-around game.
“He can’t have the mindset like, I’ve got to go in and score more points because we’re losing points in Tatum,” Pierce in an interview with Steve Bulpett of Heavy on Sports.
“No, I’ve got to be more responsible. I’ve got to make the players around me better. I’ve got to learn the game (and be) more well-rounded. That’s what’s going to make him better in the long run as a player.”
Team chemistry will be a huge question for Celtics right now and Brown as their leader must make sure that everybody will get comfortable.
For now, they just need to hold out as reports claimed Tatum’s recovery is progressing better than expected. There might come a time that Brown won’t have to do everything.
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