Not Jayson Tatum, the Boston Celtics are Jaylen Brown’s team

In basketball, there are two kinds of players. There are those who steal the spotlight, despite having more personality than substance. And there are those who go largely unnoticed but quietly carry the team.

The Boston Celtics entered this season with modest expectations after Jayson Tatum’s injury. However, as unfortunate as that situation was, it revealed something important: the player who truly sustains the franchise is Jaylen Brown.

Brown may not generate the same buzz, but he is widely regarded as one of the best shooting guards in the league. For years, he has lived in Tatum’s shadow, not in a negative sense, but as a player whose impact was often framed as complementary rather than central. Even with a $53 million per season contract, he still earns about $10 million less than Tatum and the No. 0 is still the team’s leader.

Is Brown more important that Tatum?

What stands out is that the Celtics’ results without their presumed star have been almost identical to those from January of last season, when Tatum was healthy. At that point, Boston sat second in the Eastern Conference with a 27–11 record. Today, they are also second, with a 24–13 record, a difference that carries little weight in the broader context.

It is also worth asking what roster Tatum had exactly a year ago. Alongside Brown, the Celtics featured Jrue Holiday, Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis, all of whom made major contributions on both ends of the floor. Now, Brown is without Tatum due to injury and without Porzingis, Holiday or Horford, all of whom were traded during the summer.

That contrast becomes even more telling when recalling Brown’s last extended absence in May 2021. Without Brown Boston lost nine of twelve games, including a 4–1 first-round playoff elimination against the Brooklyn Nets, despite Tatum being available. The difference in results highlights the true value Brown brings and how much the team depends on him.

The numbers support it, but beyond statistics, Jaylen Brown has been the heart and soul of the franchise. Tatum appeals to fans who love spectacle. Brown is the one who makes the Celtics function as a basketball team.

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