The ever growing speculation of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum continues to surround the Celtics as the offseason gets underway.

For the first time ever, both Brown and Tatum were named to All-NBA teams in 2022-23 in leading the Celtics back to the Eastern Conference Finals for the fourth time in six years. 

Brown averaged 26.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game with 49/33/76 shooting splits. And Tatum averaged 30.1 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game with 47/35/85 shooting splits.

When you break down the impact that Brown and Tatum have on the Celtics, you’ll realize just how important both of them together are to the team’s success.

The two franchise pillars combined for 56.7 points per game while the Celtics scored 117.9 points per game as a team in 2022-23, which averages out to be a 2.25-point variance, as Brown and Tatum are producing just under half of Boston’s total offense last season.

The narrative remains that Brown and Tatum can’t play together but the numbers prove that they play well being on the same team, as well as going to four conference finals in six years. 

It’s fair to say despite how great they are together and individually, they still need other pieces around them to get over the hump and win a championship, which is fine but some people believe Brown and Tatum should be enough to raise Banner 18.

NBA Hall of Famer Rick Barry believes that Brown and Tatum are just doing too much, causing them to force plays and create turnovers. Here’s what he said about Boston’s dynamic duo to Eric Jay Santos of SI’s Inside the Celtics.

“Both Brown and Tatum, who are two talented players, suffer from what I call [Russell] Westbrook syndrome. Westbrook is an incredible talent. I love how hard he plays, but he tries to force things. In the game of basketball, you should always be taking what the defense gives you. Both Jaylen and Jayson, they have a tendency to force things and end up getting a lot of turnovers.”

Although Russell Westbrook averaged a triple-double for three consecutive seasons during his career, it’s not a compliment when Barry says Brown and Tatum are suffering from “Westbrook Syndrome”. 

Brown and Tatum forcing plays is something that’s been happening for a few years now, as Boston continues to build the proper team around them.

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