With Jayson Tatum nearing a return to the Boston Celtics, perhaps as soon as Friday, many are wondering how that will impact a Celtics team that has thrived in his absence this season.
Many seem to think Tatum will disrupt Boston's chemistry and cause issues with Jaylen Brown, even though the two have been teammates for nearly a decade.
NBA legend Carmelo Anthony said this week that Tatum needs to sacrifice and defer to Brown, who's stepped up in his absence.
Celtics beat reporter Noa Dalzell reacted to Anthony's comments on Thursday, exposing how ridiculous they are with a thoughtful X post.
I am generally refraining from Jayson Tatum/Jaylen Brown talk but I feel compelled to weigh in here as an exception:
Jayson Tatum has been sacrificing for years, so the notion he hasn’t been is completely misguided. Both stars have — and both acknowledged it about the other… https://t.co/9cOjYTA9MX
— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzell) March 5, 2026
"1) Jayson Tatum has been sacrificing for years, so the notion he hasn’t been is completely misguided. Both stars have — and both acknowledged it about the other after the 2024 title (there’s a bunch of clips of Jaylen talking about Jayson’s sacrifice from the Finals)
"2) I inherently disagree that a team is “Someone’s.” It feels like a lazy media narrative. It’s Joe Mazzulla’s team if anything, but there’s not this thing of like ‘Oh, you have to make yourself smaller now because this guy is having a great year.’ I don’t get why this because a talking point. He’ll come back and be his best self, provided he’s able to be.
"3) There’s about to (again) be two of the NBA’s best players on the same roster. They’ve made 5 ECFs, two Finals, and won a championship together. Why are we still doing this?? This conversation was put to bed years ago! They’ve both been mature! This shouldn’t have legs anymore!"
Dalzell has covered the team for years and knows both players well, so she knows what she's talking about.
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