A Summer of Change for Tatum and Brown
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown kept in touch over the summers via text messages. Occasionally, they ran into each other after the playoffs and before the start of training camp. While they were teammates and colleagues, they were not particularly close friends.
Offseasons tend to feel short when playoff runs are long. Last summer, the Celtics lost Game 7 to the Miami Heat in the conference finals. Tatum turned an ankle, and Brown couldn't pick up the slack. It was a loss that could have torn the team apart, especially with Brown's contract set to make the team more expensive. Both stars sensed the urgency. The Celtics had been patient with them, a patience not always shared by fans and media.
Realizing the need for a stronger connection, Brown called Tatum to suggest they work out together. Assistant coach Sam Cassell arranged the workouts, and trainer Drew Hanlen ran them. Even Celtics legend Paul Pierce joined in, lifting weights and sitting in on the workouts. This summer of bonding and hard work translated into one of the most dominant seasons in NBA history for the Celtics.
Overcoming Adversity
Tatum and Brown were always good and talented players, but they needed time for the game to slow down for them. Comparisons were made to iconic duos like Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway, but Tatum and Brown faced their own set of challenges: ego issues, tough opponents, and injuries. Yet, they never lost faith.
The Celtics made several changes to support Tatum and Brown. Brad Stevens transitioned from head coach to president of basketball operations. Ime Udoka was hired as coach but later fired, leading to Joe Mazzulla's promotion from assistant to head coach. Three veteran stars were also brought in to mentor the young duo. The team leaned into Tatum and Brown as leaders, focusing on their growth and development.
The Decision to Keep Them Together
Brad Stevens played a crucial role in keeping Brown and Tatum together. He signed off on drafting each of them and built the team around their talents. Stevens declined several trade opportunities for big-name players over the years and frequently reassured Brown of the organization's commitment to him, eventually signing Brown to the largest contract in NBA history. This commitment served as a motivation for Brown, who played the best basketball of his career in the playoffs and was named MVP of both the conference finals and the finals.
The Journey to Championship Glory
Tatum and Brown heard the media criticisms but blocked them out, focusing instead on their game and team dynamics. Tatum's 6-year-old son Deuce symbolizes his journey with the Celtics. Both players have experienced losses, high expectations, and relentless media speculation. After the 2022 Finals loss, Deuce helped Tatum through a difficult period, inspiring him to focus on training and addressing weaknesses in his game. Tatum improved significantly in the subsequent playoffs.
The relationship between Tatum and Brown has often been a topic of debate, but their success together has made these discussions irrelevant. The Celtics had a highly successful season with minimal drama, guided by Mazzulla's emphasis on a growth mentality.
Quotes
"We were always good and talented. The game needed to slow down."
"Oh, they didn't win it. They can't play together. They should trade him."
"It's what it's all about. When we're all done with our time with the Celtics, as coaches, as players, all that's going to really matter is how we treated each other. Nothing else matters."
"You worry about how some people would handle that. Not Jaylen. He's a worker. He just wants to get better. He takes everything as motivation to improve."
"I don't ever win s---."
"If you would have asked me that maybe a year ago, I would probably say yeah. But just at the point I got to right now, it feels great. Any of the personal awards, it is what it is."
"I trusted him. He trusted me. And we did it together."
"He was born six weeks into the season and I was scared. I was like, 'I don't want to roll over on him.'"
"He was scared s----, just like I was as a father. No one's ready to have a child when they're still living out their childhood dream. But I've seen him grow so much. He's really a great dad."
"You're damn right I am."
"It took being relentless."
"It took being on the other side of this and losing in the Finals and being at literally the lowest point in a basketball career that you could be, to next year, to the following year, thinking that was going to be the time, and come up short again."
"Now, to elevate yourself in a space that, you know, all your favorite players are in, everybody that they consider greats or legends have won a championship, and all of the guys I looked up to won a championship, multiple championships. Now I can, like, walk in those rooms and be a part of that. It's a hell of a feeling. This is more -- I dreamed about what it would be like, but this is 10 times better."
"The whole Jayson-Jaylen discussion in the national media is laughable to all of us."
"I don't have the time to give a f---."
"What do you remember about that series? [Michael Jordan's] pull-up clincher at the end of Game 6, right? But do you remember that they lost Game 1? Do you remember that he missed a game winner? Do you remember? He was 9-for-26 and a Game 5 loss.' All you remember was the game, the clinching pull-back game winner."
"My big thing to him was, 'Hey, no one really cares what you did game by game. All that really matters is if you hang a banner.'
"To me, teams thrive when there's little drama and they're moving in one direction."
"You have to stay in long enough. That's how you grow."