Jalen Brown will be gaining significant attention as Boston’s main offensive weapon next season.
Jason Tatum’s injury would likely put him aside for the entire campaign and carry the franchise to Brown.
The Celtics lack the power of the stars beyond Jalen Brown and Derrick White.
Former All-Stars Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis left via deals, but Al Horford also left the organization during a roster overhaul.
Brown has faced unprecedented pressure throughout his career, with some analysts questioning whether he can fit Tatum’s production level.
However, NBA analyst Jeff Goodman thinks the criticism is unfair given Boston’s exhausted supportive cast.
“Jaylen Brown will be the number one guy without Jason Tatum, without Jule Holiday, without Porzingis, and with five big guys, it could be the worst big-name collection we’ve seen in the NBA,” Goodman explained.
“It’s a bad group. So is it fair? I’ve been a critical of Jalen Brown for many years, and I’ll say this: Is it fair to judge Jalen Brown with the supporting cast he has this year?”
Rather than focusing solely on Brown’s leadership abilities, Goodman turned his attention to other Celtics players who need to prove themselves.
Goodman specifically questioned whether role players could handle expanded liability.
He highlighted Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser as players facing huge pressure to perform.
“Is Payton Pritchard enough to be a guy in a 30-minute game? Sam Hauser can play 25 minutes with a team.
Pritchard won the sixth Man of the Year last season, but he took on a much bigger role and was able to attract more attention.
Hauser, on the other hand, normally works as a rotating player, but could compete with Chris Boucher.
These players represent Brown’s main support system as they try to maintain their recent scoring average of 20 points or more per game.
Their development and consistency almost determines Boston’s competitive ceiling.
Brown’s success should not be measured solely by individual statistics, but as how effectively he is increasing his teammates’ performance within a significantly changed roster structure.