Normally, NBA youth has a hard time adjusting to the speed and physicality of the pro game. Celtics stars Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum bucked that trend by going to the Eastern Conference Finals three times in their first four tries. However, getting to the NBA Finals is an entirely different task.
And early on, losing in the NBA Finals was expected for the Jays. Going against a younger LeBron James is always a daunting task. Some would say losing to the Miami Heat inside the bubble was a failed opportunity. But make no mistake about it 26 other teams do not get that far. Moreover, teams led by young 20 year-olds usually do not sniff that opportunity.
It’s easy to say the basketball gods have been kind to Tatum and Brown for the most part. However, at some point, you have to break through that metaphorical wall.
“I don’t buy the ‘youth’ thing anymore,” said longtime Boston Globe scribe Dan Shaughnessy. “This is [Tatum’s] fifth year. This is [Brown’s] sixth year. And I know they were young when they came to it. They weren’t fully-formed adults. Larry Bird was 23 his rookie year. Different. But it’s long enough, to figure out the NBA.”
“I’m running out of patience with it. They were in the Conference Finals three out of four years and it’s going the wrong way now,” added Shaughnessy.
Over the 11 games, Boston has seemingly turned it around. They sport a top-3 point differential in that span, which includes the top defensive rating in the entire NBA. Tatum is back on the ascent, notching four 30-point games in a row (which is good for the second-most 30-point games in the league this year). Brown just re-entered the starting lineup and caught fire against the Rockets halfway through the game. If the Celtics plan on reclaiming a spot atop the Eastern Conference they will need their two young All Stars to guide them there.
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