For the first time since his rookie season in 2017, Jaylen Brown will face the prospect of playing without Jayson Tatum for an extended period of time.
Tatum came in and started 80 games as a 19-year-old rookie 2018 and hasn’t missed more than 18 games in a season during his eight year career.
That will likely change this year as Tatum recovers from a ruptured Achilles tendon injury that he suffered during the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Knicks. Plus, the Celtics made several offseason moves, including trading Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis, that reshaped the roster.
Brown will be the Celtics’ go-to scoring option this season. Paul Pierce knows a thing or two about what that is like. Pierce offered some analysis and advice during a recent interview with Heavy Sports’ Steve Bulpett on how Brown should approach things without Tatum this season.
“For him, it’s about what he can do better on the court,” Pierce said. “This is the thing: when you start getting more of the rope, you’ve got to be more responsible.
“So he’s going to get more leeway — and not that he didn’t have all of the leeway, but now he’s the main focus. So with that comes more responsibility. You know, ‘How do I get my other teammates involved more? Where I gotta maybe change my game up a little bit?”
Pierce acknowledged that changing his game to mesh with Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen is not the same as Brown having to adjust without Tatum. Pierce had to learn how to accomodate more accomplished scorers than he had previously played with. Brown has to figure out how to deal with the loss of Tatum’s scoring without forcing things too much.
“It’s a different situation, but it’s really like that for him,” Pierce said. “He can’t have the mindset like, I’ve got to go in and score more points because we’re losing points in Tatum. 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 more well-rounded. That’s what’s going to make him better in the long run as a player.”
Brown’s increased workload will involve more than just scoring, as he showed in Game 5 against the Knicks when he dished out 12 assists against two turnovers along with pouring in 26 points. His playmaking was crucial in the only game the Celtics won without Tatum in that series.
There will be pressure to sharpen that part of his game and reach a more consistent level. The following game, the Knicks forced Brown into seven turnovers and cut his assist total in half down to 6.
“I think he’s going to get an opportunity to show more of his versatility,” Pierce said. “Because, you know, he handles the ball, but he doesn’t get the same responsibility that Tatum gets. Tatum had the ball more for handling and making plays, and now that’s on Jaylen.”
“How much better can he be in a pick-and-roll situation making decisions? He didn’t really have that responsibility as much as Jayson did. That’s what I’m going to be looking at, how he’s going to be responsible when he’s shouldering the offensive load.”
The Celtics will also need leadership from Brown. Brown has showed over the years that he’s naturally more of a vocal leader than Tatum, Pierce said. His presence will be an important one.
“Your best player don’t always got to be your leader,” Pierce said. “Our championship team (2008) was crazy because we had a thousand voices — (James) Posey, Eddie House … we had about 10 leaders on that team. It wouldn’t always have to come from me or KG, you know what I’m saying?”
“But you see it in guys’ personalities, and naturally Jaylen is a vocal dude in the media, on the court. So he ain’t looking at nothing different as far as that.”