The Boston Celtics, after suffering a gut-wrenching loss to the Atlanta Hawks in their NBA Cup group-stage opener, needed to be perfect from here on out to advance to the tournament’s quarterfinals. On Friday night, they handily took care of the hapless Washington Wizards, 108-96, as they met a familiar face in former Celtics guard Malcolm Brogdon.
It has been a trying past one and a half seasons for Brogdon after the Celtics traded him in the deal that netted them Jrue Holiday in return. He has been part of not just one, but two rebuilding teams in the Wizards and Portland Trail Blazers, and he hasn’t been quite as impactful on the court since winning the 2023 Sixth Man of the Year award.
Brogdon certainly recalls his time with the Celtics fondly; after all, he’s been keeping tabs on how they’ve been doing and he believes that the duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown has ascended towards the top of the league’s totem pole.
“People have always criticized them over the years — they can’t play together, their games are too similar, they’ve heard it all. I think they’ve really come together and figured it out how to play well and mesh on the court on both ends. I think they’re great… they’re the best duo in the NBA right now,” Brogdon said, via Celtics on CLNS on X (formerly known as Twitter).
High praise from Malcolm Brogdon for the Jays:
“People have always criticized them over the years — they can’t play together, their games are too similar, they’ve heard it all. I think they’ve really come together and figured it out… they’re the best duo in the NBA right now.” https://t.co/JvM3MG3Gpq
— Noa Dalzell
(@NoaDalzell) November 23, 2024
Indeed, Tatum and Brown’s confidence have only skyrocketed since winning it all last season. They may have been setting scoring records for a duo even before they led the Celtics to a title, but now, it is apparent in their body language that they think they’re the best — with the production to match their level of confidence in themselves.
Jaylen Brown leads the way for the Celtics on Friday as Jayson Tatum takes a backseat
One of the most improved dynamics of the Jayson Tatum-Jaylen Brown duo is that they have learned when to let the other take over. There is no stepping on each other’s toes for this Celtics star partnership, and on Friday, it was Brown’s turn to seize the controls.
Brown had it going against the Wizards; he finished with 31 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists — with Tatum having to take a bit of a backseat amid his shooting struggles on the night (6-19 from the field, 0-10 from deep). The two have each other’s backs, and it has resulted in quite the recipe for success in Beantown.
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