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Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have confidence in themselves.
The Boston Celtics duo was a driving force behind the team’s incredible 48-12 record, the best mark in the NBA. Tatum believes their shared desire to improve sets them apart from other star couples in the association.
“For this season, we’re trying to take the same approach: I’m getting better and he’s getting better,” Tatum said, via The Players’ Tribune. “It’s not like we stay the same. We’re two of the hungriest players in the league.”
The Players’ Tribune @PlayersTribune
.@jaytatum0 about playing with @FCHWPO:”It’s been great. Two guys who were drafted back-to-back to the same team. Every day, every game, I know where I’m trying to get to and he knows where he is. We’re trying to get there, and we try to figure it out together. In a way, we each push each other… pic.twitter.com/G91XxfPnyu
The two All-Stars have been teammates since 2017, as they were selected with the third overall pick in back-to-back drafts. They have grown side by side, making the playoffs every season they have been in the league.
Tatum and Brown failed to win a title, although they took the Celtics to Game 6 of the 2022 NBA Finals before ultimately falling to the Golden State Warriors. With players such as Derrick White and Kristaps Porzingis thriving in complementary roles during the 2023-24 season, it’s not hard to imagine another deep postseason run for the Celtics.
Both Brown and Tatum continued to increase their efficiency in their seventh year as teammates. They are shooting 50.2 percent and 47.8 percent from the field, respectively. These two percentages represent the highest marks of their career.
“Everything we do, we compete the right way — I push it, we play one-on-one after practice,” Tatum said. “I think the next step for us is to feed off each other more in a game.”
The two continued to dominate their opponents, leading the Celtics to their third 50-point victory of the season in a 140-88 loss to the Warriors on Sunday.
