Brad Stevens is aware of how essential each Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are to each the short-term and long-term success of the Celtics.
And whereas Boston’s president of basketball operations doesn’t have all the ability in making certain the latter is retained past subsequent season, that didn’t maintain him from making an sudden look on the podium on Sunday afternoon and stating his case.
Brown, in fact, is a candidate to be named to his first profession All-NBA staff this season. The voting for these groups are made by the media and will likely be introduced a while in May. But earlier than then, Stevens made a robust endorsement for Brown because the Celtics make one closing push for his or her All-Star to be acknowledged among the many NBA’s elite.
“I think both Jayson and Jaylen should be on the All-NBA team,” Stevens mentioned when requested about Brown’s candidacy. “I think, again, what they’ve done throughout the course of this year, and you asked about Jaylen so I’ll talk about Jaylen in particular, he’s also really played his best basketball, I think, in the last couple of months, and he was an obvious All-Star right out of the gate. So it tells you where he’s been.”
Brown skilled a profession yr in his seventh season as he performed an integral function in main the Celtics to 57 wins and the second seed within the East. He completed the yr with a career-high 26.7 factors per sport and had probably the most environment friendly season of his profession, taking pictures 49.1 p.c on 20.6 makes an attempt per sport whereas additionally dealing with, as Stevens famous, an enormous function defensively.
“I think he’s doing a great job of obviously scoring the ball, scoring when we need it, but we asked him to do a lot defensively,” Stevens mentioned. “And we asked him, along with Jayson, to read a lot of pretty intense coverages with extra bodies flying at them, with extra bodies shifted over to them. We’re unique because we have those two guys, who are just amazing young players, and they really accentuate our role players, but then we’ve got a group of role players that really accentuate them. And so I think that they deserve to be on that team, and Jaylen in particular, I thought has really had a great run here.”
There’s, in fact, loads of incentive for each Brown and the Celtics for him to be named to an All-NBA staff. If he’s chosen, Brown will likely be eligible for a five-year, $290 million supermax contract extension this summer season.
White in uncommon firm
Derrick White has handled a myriad of minor accidents this season. He had a neck sprain. He suffered a ruptured eardrum. More just lately, he had sprained his left ankle.
But the guard by no means missed any time. White achieved a uncommon feat in in the present day’s NBA by enjoying in all 82 video games this season. Only 10 gamers within the league can declare they did that this yr.
“I think it’s important and I think he takes pride in that,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla mentioned. “A key to that is our depth. That’s helped. I think because we have such a balanced roster, it takes a little bit off of everybody. At the same time, he loves playing basketball. Really enjoys it and it’s cool to see. So I’m happy for him.”
White emerged as one of many Celtics’ most vital gamers on each side of the ball this season and his consistency was mirrored in his availability. He’s the primary Celtics gamers since Isaiah Thomas in 2015-16 to play in all 82 video games. He’s now performed in 108 consecutive regular-season video games since he was acquired on the commerce deadline final season. The solely sport he has missed with the Celtics is Game 2 of final season’s Eastern Conference Finals, when he attended the start of his little one.
Tip-ins
Stevens mentioned Brown, who suffered a proper finger laceration final week, needs to be prepared for the beginning of the playoffs. “I believe he’ll be working towards by center to finish of the week, so he’ll be high quality. So we’re OK there.“ … The Celtics completed the common season with 57 wins, their most since successful 62 video games in 2008-09.
Source: www.bostonherald.com