When Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum were picked during back to back drafts, questions immediately emerged over which lottery pick would become the star that would lead the Celtics into the future.
After Jayson Tatum’s rookie season, it seemed like that question had an answer.
Tatum made the usual rookie mistakes, but his flashes of scoring brilliance and ability to play defense made other teams regret passing on him. Jaylen Brown, on the other hand, demonstrated the solid defense, decent three point stroke, and above the rim play that made him an NBA prospect in college, but, at times, he looked unsure with the ball in his hands and left some fans thinking he might be nothing more than an above-average three and D player.
With these concerns, Brown kept improving year after year, showing more confidence in his three point shooting while also proving he was able to take on defenders 1v1 and get to the rim or make pull up jumpers.
Now in his fifth year, Brown is primed to make his first all-star team, and he’s started the season off with stats that make him hard to ignore. Having the highest point total this season before Stephen Curry’s career night, Jaylen Brown is proving his offensive game can be just as deadly as his lockdown defense.
Brown has found his own way of scoring efficiently without needing the ball in his hands for too long. By taking advantage of what the defense gives him, Brown compliments Tatum instead of competing against him for ball dominance.
He still knocks down catch-and-shoot threes at a solid rate and can punish defenders above the rim for rotating late, but he has become less afraid of attacking defenders one on one and finding his spots. His addition of a reliable pull-up jump shot leaves defenders guessing whether he is going to blow by them or stop on a dime. Brown looks confident with his dribble moves and is not afraid of hitting shots with a hand in his face.
Unlike Tatum, Brown does not tend to spend a lot of time dribbling the ball, rather choosing to take defenders on during a rotation or while Tatum is being doubled. Before the defense has a chance to reset, Brown is either shooting a three, pulling up for a mid-range jumper, or blowing by them to the rim. He’s punishing teams that focus too much on Tatum and feeling more confident than ever.
The one area Brown still needs to work on is his playmaking and isolation scoring. While he has his spots and can blow by defenders, when left on an island, Brown either seems unsure with the ball or settles for a contested shot. Tatum uses his long strides, crafty handles, and James Harden-Esque step-back shot to leave players frustrated and coaches throwing double teams at him.
Could Brown sharpen his play to have a more well-rounded offensive game? If you told NBA scouts the year he was drafted that Brown would start a season averaging more than twenty-five points a game, they’d say you were crazy. Likewise, it may not seem like Brown has the arsenal to become a playmaker yet, but taking into account the growth since the start of his career, the sky’s the limit at this point.
So that leaves the question: Is Jaylen Brown better than Jayson Tatum?
Currently, no.
Jaylen Brown might be slightly more consistent on offense and a better all-around defender(although not by much), but Jayson Tatum has demonstrated superstar potential. Brown has shown he can compliment almost any team and hit big shots, but Tatum has made it clear he can take over a game and be a go-to guy if needed. While Jaylen Brown is not quite as good as Jayson Tatum at this point, Brown’s work ethic and improvement during his time in the NBA suggest he might be there soon.
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