Contrary to popular belief, Jayson Tatum has shown in recent seasons that he is not capable of leading a team to an NBA Championship. His teammate Jaylen Brown , however, did exactly that as the Boston Celtics became the 2023-24 NBA Champions under his leadership, and he was rewarded with Finals MVP.
This was not the only time that Brown showed that he is a better player in tough situations, as the same happened just two years prior in the 2021-22 NBA Finals. Both of these series showed that Tatum might not be qualified to be a leader for a championship team and that Brown is the better option.
Biggest Contributor to Boston Celtics Championship
Brown had to step up as Tatum was having a bad series
In the 2023-24 NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks , the series started with both Tatum and Brown attempting to lead the charge, but only one did so successfully. Tatum was shooting very inconsistently and was not hitting shots from anywhere on the court, which remained the case for the majority of the series, aside from two games.
Brown started the series off hot, which gave the Celtics a 3-0 lead in the finals. The first and third games saw Brown’s defensive matchup, Luka Dončić , play inefficiently, which also played a huge factor in those wins as he is normally the Mavericks’ best scorer. Despite not being very consistent in the last two games of the series, no team has ever come back from a 3-0 lead, which means that the champions were already unofficially determined.
| 2022-24 NBA Finals Statistics | ||
|---|---|---|
| Stat | Jaylen Brown | Jayson Tatum |
| PPG | 20.8 | 22.2 |
| APG | 5.0 | 7.2 |
| RPG | 5.4 | 7.8 |
| FG% | 44.0% | 38.8% |
| 3P% | 23.5% | 26.3% |
| SPG | 1.6 | 1.0 |
| BPG | 0.8 | 0.6 |
This performance led to Brown winning the 2023-24 NBA Finals MVP, as he played much more efficiently than Tatum did and was the major contributor to the Celtics winning the championship. This series saw Tatum choke in the most important games of his career. However, it was not the only time that this happened, as he also had a bad performance in the 2021-22 NBA Finals.
Tatum Had His Chance in 2022, But He Failed
Tatum struggled to lead the Celtics against the Warriors
Brown leading the Celtics to the NBA Championship should be enough to see that he is the real leader of the franchise, but if it isn’t, then it’s also important to note that Tatum got his opportunity to help Boston win their 18th title but failed in doing so.
In the 2021-22 NBA season, Tatum and the Boston Celtics made the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors . However, this was not the same Warriors team from the late 2010s as Kevin Durant was long gone and both Klay Thompson and Draymond Green were significantly older and not as impactful.
Despite the Celtics seemingly having a better overall roster, the Warriors were able to win this series in six games, much of that due to Tatum’s lack of efficiency and poor play. Conversely, Brown had a solid series as the second shot scorer on the team, but it was not enough to take down Golden State.
| 2021-22 NBA Finals Statistics | ||
|---|---|---|
| Stat | Jaylen Brown | Jayson Tatum |
| PPG | 23.5 | 21.5 |
| APG | 3.7 | 7.0 |
| RPG | 7.3 | 6.8 |
| FG% | 43.1% | 36.7% |
| 3P% | 34.0%% | 45.5% |
| SPG | 0.8 | 1.2 |
| BPG | 0.3 | 0.7 |
Throughout the series, Tatum shot well under 40 percent, the second worst among all starters in Boston. Brown, however, was second among starters on the Celtics in terms of efficiency. Despite Tatum having a solid outing from the three-point range, he was struggling to score anywhere from inside the arc, and his continuous cold streaks cost the team heavily.
Brown also had a better finals appearance defensively, as his primary matchup, Thompson, was struggling to score throughout the entire series. He had very poor efficiency and was struggling to make any of his shots, despite continuing to take them. Andrew Wiggins , Tatum’s matchup, was one of the more consistent scorers throughout these finals and was the biggest contributor for Stephen Curry on the road to the 2021-22 NBA Championship.
Why Brown is the Better Long-Term Leader
Previous performances show a clear answer
After both the 2021-22 and 2023-24 NBA Finals, it has become clear that Tatum is not a player who comes up clutch in big-time moments. Although Brown’s efficiency does somewhat decline in high-stakes games, he is a much more consistent scorer than Tatum and also rarely lets the pressure get to him.
His calm playstyle was a major contributor to the Boston Celtics winning the 2023-24 NBA Championship, and the team going up 3-0 to start the series off should be heavily credited to him. The lead he gave the team in this series sealed the 2023-24 finals before it officially ended, proving that he is the best leader for Boston and that he deserved to win the 2023-24 NBA Finals MVP.
It’s been made clear that Brown is a better performer than Tatum in playoff moments, so despite normally taking the backseat to him in the regular season, the Celtics should make it a priority to let him lead the charge in the postseason.
