Jayson Tatum praised Jaylen Brown for his breakout season, saying he always believed in his teammate's ability to shine with more opportunity. Tatum highlighted Brown’s work ethic and love for the game as key reasons behind his rise.
The Boston Celtics closed the first half of the season with a solid 124-105 win over the Chicago Bulls at TD Garden. Boston controlled the game from the start and improved to 35-19, sitting second in the Eastern Conference.
Boston Celtics / Schedule
While Jaylen Brown led the way with 24 points, much of the attention before the game was on what Jayson Tatum had to say about his teammate's breakout season. Tatum made it clear he is not surprised by Brown's rise.
"It's been great," Tatum said per Celtics reporter Noa Dalzell. "Even before the season, there was no doubt in my mind that he, and P and D-White and all these guys, I knew what they were capable of."
For Tatum, Brown's production is not something that came out of nowhere. He pointed to the work ethic and love for the game that Brown shows every day behind the scenes.
"Whenever somebody who loves the game that much, and works as hard as they do, gains more opportunity, I'm not surprised what they've been able to accomplish," he added. "It's been really fun to see."
Brown has taken on a bigger offensive role and embraced it. Through 49 games, he is averaging 29.3 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game.
He is shooting 48.3 percent from the field while attempting more than 22 shots per night.
Brown's season has already included Eastern Conference Player of the Month honors in January and his first All-Star starter selection. With Boston near the top of the standings, the Celtics backcourt continues to prove it can carry the team into the second half of the NBA season.
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