On Tuesday, the Boston Celtics gave star wing Jaylen Brown a massive five-year contract extension that will be worth $304 million.
It is the richest contract ever given out in league history, but many are wondering why it was given to Brown, who is a very
good player, but not a bona fide franchise player.
According to Zach Lowe, via Legion Hoops, executives from other teams are seriously questioning the wisdom of Brown’s
new deal.
For the last few months, there was speculation that Brown, who would’ve become a free agent next summer, wasn’t happy in
Boston and that he would end up leaving, either as a free agent or via a trade prior to this coming season’s trade deadline.
He may not be the Celtics’ best player overall, but in big games and important moments, he has stepped up.
In 2022, when they reached the NBA Finals, Jayson Tatum played very poorly, but Brown gave them a shot at winning it all.
In the Game 6 finale, while Tatum had a 6-of-18 clunker, Brown went for an efficient 34 points.
The 2022-23 campaign was Brown’s best yet, as he put up 26.6 points and 6.9 rebounds a game while shooting 49.1 percent
from the field, all of which were career highs.
With the departures of Marcus Smart and Grant Williams, he may have to step things up in order to allow Boston to contend
for a world championship.
The team will likely have a very thin bench, which will put more pressure on Brown, Tatum, and newcomer Kristaps
Porzingis to keep the Celtics afloat.
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Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum fired off a rant on load management during an appearance at a youth basketball camp on
Tuesday afternoon.
Tatum’s rant was shared by Nike Elite Youth Basketball’s Twitter account.
“Me, I don’t decide –s*** we playing the Hornets tonight, Imma chill. I only get to go to Charlotte two times a year.
Somebody paid big money tonight to come watch me play,” Tatum explained. “Like, I’m not trying to be arrogant — like
there’s a bunch of kids in there with my shoes and my jersey on. And just because we’re playing Charlotte on NBA League
Pass on a Monday and ain’t nobody f***ing watching, I’m not like ‘alright I’m chilling tonight.’”
The 25-year-old superstar went viral on Twitter after the video surfaced. Multiple accounts with large followings shared the
clip all over social media. As a result, many fans showed respect for Tatum’s sentiment by giving him props online.
One Twitter user (@ChiefOttoSosa) replied to the original clip and said “Tatum growing on me.”
As for the night in Charlotte that he was talking about, he scored 51 points to help lead the Celtics to a blowout win on a
Monday in January.
Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum doesn’t take days off
Tatum’s rant is anything but hypocritical. The Boston Celtics star is about as reliable as they come. Last season, he appeared
in 74 of Boston’s 82 outings, scoring an average of 30.1 points per game while shooting 46.6% from the field and 35.0% from
beyond the arc.
Throughout his career it’s been more of the same. The four-time NBA All-Star has missed just 43 regular-season contests
over the course of six seasons as a pro.
Tatum should have no issue ensuring that he’s eligible for the league’s accolades in years to come. Under the new CBA
players are required to take the floor 65 times in an 82-game season in order to qualify.
That’s a mark that the former Duke star has missed just one time — playing 64 games in the 2020-21 campaign, which was
shortened to just 72 contests.
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