{"id":542472,"date":"2026-03-17T14:25:11","date_gmt":"2026-03-17T14:25:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/542472\/"},"modified":"2026-03-17T14:25:11","modified_gmt":"2026-03-17T14:25:11","slug":"as-tatums-minutes-ramp-up-so-does-chamistry-with-jaylen-brown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/542472\/","title":{"rendered":"As Tatum’s minutes ramp up, so does chamistry with Jaylen Brown"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBoston Celtics\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tAs the playoffs approach, the Celtics couldn’t ask for a much smoother return than the one Tatum is having.<\/p>\n

\"\"
\n\tJayson Tatum Matthew J. Lee\/Globe Staff\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\"Celtics\"\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJaylen Brown scores 18 of his 41 points in the fourth quarter to help Celtics beat Suns 120-112\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBruins fall to Devils 4-3 in OT as US Olympic hero Jack Hughes has 3 assists\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

COMMENTARY<\/p>\n

Jaylen Brown<\/a> saw Devin Booker with his back turned trying to recover his handle after an around-the-back dribble went a little too far in the other direction. <\/p>\n

A high bounce gave Brown the opening that he needed to poke the ball away and start the fast break that sliced the Suns\u2019 lead down to one with a little more than three minutes to go in the fourth quarter. Reaching for a steal like that is a risky move, but Brown\u2019s instincts took over. and he caught Booker off guard.<\/p>\n

\u201cSteals and blocks are great plays for our team,\u201d Brown said after scoring a game-high 41 points in the 120-112 win over Phoenix. \u201cBut sometimes just trying to stay in between your man and the ball and making them make tough shots is better for our defense than gambling.<\/p>\n

\u201cI could probably gamble more times and get more steals and blocks, and those would be great for statistical measures, but it would hurt our defense a little bit more. Even though it was a good play, I don\u2019t know if I would do that again.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jayson Tatum<\/a> and Payton Pritchard sprinted up the floor, creating a three-on-one opportunity, and Brown hit Tatum with a pass as soon as he stepped into the paint. A smooth Euro step led Tatum to the basket for a layup, and the TD Garden crowd erupted.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt felt like old times,\u201d Tatum said with a nod in the locker room after the game.<\/p>\n

Tatum and Brown, ages 28 and 29 respectively, are too young and in too good of a position ahead of this upcoming playoff run to sit around thinking about the good old days, but Tatum\u2019s lengthy recovery process rehabbing a ruptured Achilles\u2019 added perspective. <\/p>\n

Tatum said he woke up with a mix of anxiousness and excitement before his third home game of the season. His return sparked plenty of questions about how his game might look as he readjusts to the daily grind of NBA games, and also countless debates on how he\u2019ll fit in with this year\u2019s team that relied on Brown to lead the way in his absence.<\/p>\n

One thing about the duo is already clear. Those guys care deeply about winning and executing at a high level, and they\u2019re willing to do what it takes to get the job done. The Celtics have won four of the six games since Tatum\u2019s return, and the fit has been seamless.<\/p>\n

They\u2019ve been playing together in Boston nine years now, and they\u2019ve been one of the last four teams standing in the playoffs six times. They\u2019ve won an NBA Finals, and they\u2019ve lost an NBA Finals. They\u2019ve had their battles with LeBron and Steph Curry. <\/p>\n

After all these years, nothing surprises them about each other anymore, Tatum said. <\/p>\n

\u201cI wouldn\u2019t say surprise. I think there\u2019s an element of trust that we have in one another,\u201d Tatum said. \u201cWe can rely on one another in the biggest moments, in the biggest games in the biggest situations.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been through all of them and we\u2019ve come out on top in most of them. We\u2019ve fallen short a few times, but I know one thing: When we step on that floor we know that the other person is going to try to do what it takes to win this game.\u201d <\/p>\n

Things can be both new and unsurprising at the same time. It should be no surprise that Tatum and Brown both approach things with a professional attitude that allows them to coexist with each other and win. But, at the same time, Brown has taken his game to new heights while Tatum faced the longest absence of his career.<\/p>\n

This year has been different than any one they\u2019ve experienced together. Brown has never averaged more points or heard more MVP chants than he has right now, and he admits that he\u2019s enjoying every bit of the experience. <\/p>\n

There are still things to work through as Tatum continues to ramp up his minutes. He has played 32 in each of the past two games, up from the 27 minutes per game he played in his first three. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt takes some understanding,\u201d Brown said. \u201cJT is extremely important to us for what we want to do. Obviously, I\u2019m having a great season, but not going to have to just think what\u2019s the big picture. Sometimes that\u2019s not easy, but always put the team first and what the bigger picture is first.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo it\u2019s just kind of a feel thing. Kind of feel it out, and then take some time. We\u2019re gonna be aggressive, how the teams guard, and kind of reassessing all of that stuff is different. This team is different but it\u2019s been it\u2019s been OK.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adding Tatum back into the mix is an adjustment for everybody involved. That\u2019s what happens when you bring in a first-team All-NBA caliber player for the final stretch of the season. <\/p>\n

But, just listen to the way Brown talks about what it takes to make the right play on defense even though the gamble he took wound up paying off. <\/p>\n

Or, look at Tatum\u2019s willingness to use every bit of his versatility, whether that\u2019s moonlighting as a small-ball center to switch things up, or firing a one-handed baseball pass to Derrick White in the paint.<\/p>\n

Winning is a priority and they chase down the details. It\u2019s the same old story, just with a new twist. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just having awareness,\u201d coach Joe Mazzulla said. \u201cYou never want to be put in a box. We have to continue to give the game what it needs, make 2 on 1 reads, make the right play as a team and be physical.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Profile\t<\/p>\n

\t\tKhari A. Thompson<\/a>Sports Reporter\t<\/p>\n

Khari Thompson covers professional sports for Boston.com. Before joining the team in 2022, Khari covered college football for The Clarion Ledger in Jackson, Miss.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGet the latest Boston sports news<\/p>\n

Receive updates on your favorite Boston teams, straight from our newsroom to your inbox.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Boston Celtics As the playoffs approach, the Celtics couldn’t ask for a much smoother return than the one…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":542473,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[434],"tags":[49,48,459,82],"class_list":["post-542472","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nba","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-nba","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/542472","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=542472"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/542472\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/542473"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=542472"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=542472"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=542472"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}