Basketball Hall of Famer Shares What Stood Out to Him as Tatum and Brown Led Celtics to Banner 18

When you win a championship in Boston for the team in green, you become a legend forever. Especially when you have been knocking at the door for a really long time, with plenty of career accolades and jaw-dropping accomplishments that you only see those types of legends do at a real young age.

Not that there was ever any doubt, but Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum have now certainly solidified themselves as two of the greatest Celtics in team history after finally winning themselves some hardware.

The historic duo, at last, finally put Banner 18 up in the rafters. Not going away anytime soon with a good shot at 19 next year, it’s pretty clear that Brown and Tatum’s numbers will be in the rafters one day too.

From Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo, Cedric Maxwell, and many others, many Celtics legends have been there for the Jays’ support over their growth and development, eventually leading the team to the promised land after having seen it all on a battle-tested level nearly the last decade. Tatum even finally got to meet and have a chat with Larry Bird this season. The two who came from Danny Ainge’s trade of Pierce and Garnett 11 years ago this month for the picks from the Brooklyn Nets that eventually led to Tatum and Brown have come an incredibly long way.

Kevin McHale is a recent all-timer in green that stated he was proud of the tandem’s maturity.

"I thought they matured a lot."

Celtics Legend Kevin McHale shares his thoughts on Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown@TheFrankIsola | @Scalabrine | @celtics pic.twitter.com/tqtTJn3ax5
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) June 24, 2024

“I thought they matured a lot,” McHale said recently on SiriusXM NBA Radio. “I would tell ya, a couple years ago, if Tatum had that type of shooting night, I’d be scared to death. He’d be trying to bust scenes at the elbow, trying to dribble through two guys, turning the ball over high in the court, turning the ball over at the top of the key, the elbow, and trying to force stuff.”

Those were Tatum’s old habits that were exposed a lot in the loss last season to the Miami Heat and the 2022 NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors. His growth was what ignited the Celtics to their 18th Banner of not forcing the issue and quarterbacking the team. He and Brown now let the game come to them and get to the basket, make the right pass and excel their teammates.

“He just made passes, and I was like, ‘wow, alright!’” McHale continued on Tatum. “So you’re playing the flow of the game. You’re not playing for your numbers, you’re not playing for all those things, you’re playing for the flow of the game. And the flow of the game just dictates where the ball rolls. And I thought Brown and Tatum finally got to the point of not playing the numbers, ‘I gotta get my numbers, I gotta do this, I gotta do that.’ They just play flow basketball. I was so happy and proud of those guys.”

Jaylen and Jayson, beginning next season, certainly have the opportunity to win multiple championships for this Boston Celtics franchise, just like McHale did.

Further Reading

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Baylor Scheierman Shares Celtics' Feedback Before Drafting Him

Celtics Keep 30th Pick, Select Baylor Scheierman

Al Horford, Raising Cane's, and a Region that Loves Him

On Derrick White and the Fuel for Unprecedented Journey to NBA's Best Role Player

Jayson Tatum, an NBA Champion Entering Peak of His Powers

Jaylen Brown Caps Career Year with NBA Finals MVP: 'Can't Even Put it into Words'

Tatum and Brown Reach NBA Summit, Lead Celtics to Banner 18

Celtics Detail Keys to Perhaps Their Best Quarter This Postseason

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