Jaylen Brown Sends Clear Message to Boston Celtics Fans Amid Jayson Tatum Return

On Sunday, March 8, Jayson Tatum played in his second straight game for the Boston Celtics, helping them defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers, 109-98.

And while he wasn’t as impactful as his return game against the Dallas Mavericks, Tatum still managed to drop 20 points, grab 3 rebounds and dish out 2 assists in 27 minutes of playing time against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Boston is now 2-of-2 with Tatum on the floor. However, when speaking with NBC Sports Boston after Sunday’s road win, Jaylen Brown was quick to urge fans not to panic if the team hits a bumpy stretch as Tatum continues to re-integrate into the rotation.

“It’s going to take some time to build chemistry, to build a flow,” Brown said. “It seems seamless for now, but like that’s usually not how things go. Obviously, JT’s a great player. (He plays) smart, intelligent basketball. He can integrate, but it’s in the adjustment phase. I think we’re all going to be learning.”

Brown continued.

“This trip will give us some good information. But if it doesn’t go as we expected, I don’t want anybody to panic. I’m talking to Celtics fans. We’re still figuring it out.” 

Since returning from his Achilles injury, Tatum has looked like he hasn’t missed a step. Although he has been kept to a strict minutes limit of 27 per night, meaning there have been sizeable stretches without him on the court.

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Celtics’ Payton Pritchard Shocked By Tatum

Nobody expected Tatum to hit the ground running. He’d missed 298 days of NBA basketball and was coming off a major injury. Yet, he’s been moving well, hitting his open looks, driving the lane and putting in work on the defensive glass.

When speaking with the media following Sunday’s win, reigning Sixth Man of the Year Payton Pritchard admitted that Tatum looks better than he expected.

“I don’t think his game has gone anywhere,” Pritchard said. “Like, I’d seen him working on it. I think it’s more now, just, like, not playing at all. Like, you just got to get your flow back of, like, one-on-one reads. Stuff like that.” 

Pritchard continued.

“I was talking about, when I don’t play for a while, like my dribbling and stuff like that can take a little bit, like my rhythm of the game. So, I mean, he looks unbelievable. Especially how he started today, but you know, he’s doing things that not many players have done…”

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The Celtics Face A Tough Test On Tuesday

Both Tatum and Boston will be put to the test on Tuesday, March 10, when they face the San Antonio Spurs.

We will be watching a potential preview of the NBA Finals, should both teams continue to improve and carry their regular-season production into the playoffs. And for Tatum, this will be the best team he’s faced since coming back from injury.

Still, as Brown said, if things get bumpy, it’s just part of the process. And for that reason, it would be wise not to put too many expectations on Tatum’s shoulders. After all, it will only be his third game back from injury. We’re still in the early stages of his ramp-up phase, even if that is hard to fathom with how well he’s playing.

Adam Taylor is a basketball reporter covering the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks and Miami Heat for Heavy. He holds bylines for CelticsBlog, USA Today and Yardbarker. Adam also covers the WWE and AEW. He has a bachelor’s degree in creative writing from Open University. More about Adam Taylor