Jaylen Brown has been incredible so far this season without Jayson Tatum. He’s averaging a career high in points per game and leading the Boston Celtics to the second-best record in the East. It’s gotten to the point where some are beginning to debate who is the better player between the two Celtics stars.
Advertisement
Most recently, Max Kellerman and LeBron James’ agent, Rich Paul, discussed the topic. Being an entertainment host, Kellerman seemingly felt the need to have a hot take on the debate.
“It’s a tough one, I can’t believe I’m saying it. I’ll take Jaylen Brown,” Kellerman argued via the Game Over Podcast. “The reason I’d take Jaylen Brown is I’ve seen too many playoff games from Tatum where I didn’t feel like he was the Jayson Tatum that I’m used to seeing.”
It was a stunning revelation. Throughout their careers, Tatum has always been viewed as the better player than Brown. He’s averaged more points per game in all of their seasons together except one.
Max Kellerman says he would take Jaylen Brown over Jayson Tatum
“I can’t believe I’m saying this. I’ll take Jaylen Brown. The reason is I’ve seen too many playoff games from Tatum where I didn’t feel like he was still the Jayson Tatum that I’m used to seeing”
(Via Game Over… pic.twitter.com/s1iAaxoJ14
— NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) January 5, 2026
That’s why Paul was appalled by the take. He took a more wholehearted approach to the topic.
“Give me both of them,” Paul said. “Listen, they already have a championship. Don’t be distracted by who wins Finals MVP. Don’t do any of that… Some nights it’s going to be me, some nights it’s going to be you, but at the end, it’s going to be us. Holding up that trophy.”
They were wise words coming from LeBron’s agent. Even though Brown has been playing well without Tatum, that doesn’t mean that one has to be viewed as better than the other. Instead, we can simply view them as a force when on the court together.
However, it can’t be overstated how amazing Brown has been without Tatum. His 30.1 points per game are fourth in the NBA, and he’s doing it while shooting 51% from the field. When they won the championship in 2024, Brown edged out Tatum for the Finals MVP. So, we know that he can rise above his star teammate when needed.
Kellerman isn’t wrong; Tatum has certainly had his fair share of playoff duds over the years. His most recent came last postseason when he scored just 13 points on 5-19 shooting in a 91-90 loss at home against the New York Knicks. He also struggled shooting at times in the NBA Finals, going 16-48 from the field in the three games where he didn’t eclipse 30 points.
At the same time, though, Tatum has been a very reliable scoring option for the Celtics in their playoff runs over the years. Most of the time, he is the engine that runs the show. That’s why it’s nice to have Brown just in case he isn’t playing as efficiently as usual. Yet Tatum is usually putting up around 30 points with 5 plus assists and rebounds.
All in all, Paul is right. Brown and Tatum together make an excellent pair. On their own, each could be great. But on the same team, they will be able to compete for championships for years to come.
That doesn’t mean that Brown isn’t having a stunningly excellent campaign so far, though. He’s proven to fans that he can run the show if Tatum is ever out with an injury. The two are both locked up for the next 4 seasons in Boston. So, fans must be pretty excited about their potential when Tatum comes back.
