Amid their heartbreaking loss and the subsequent elimination in Game 5, Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens praised Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown for handling the pressure under the spotlight despite their youth.

Per Jay King of The Athletic, Stevens admitted that he can't imagine himself in Tatum and Brown's shoes. If it was him, he would've ‘cracked' long ago.

“I can’t imagine having to handle what they have to handle at 20 and 22. Like, I just can’t fathom it. I would have cracked long, long ago.”

Brown and Tatum, 22 and 21-years-old respectively, are seen as the future of Celtics. Both first-round picks, they've quickly evolved into critical components of Boston's relative success over the past few years.

Both Brown and Tatum were forced to evolve rather quickly. Tatum, in his rookie season last year, was relied upon by his whole team to perform like a veteran. He wasn't expected to be just another role player for the Celtics. Now, him and Brown are seen as key parts of the rotation on both ends of the floor.

Though their playoff campaign ended early, Brown and Tatum shouldn't be ashamed of themselves — not one bit. In their short amount of time in the NBA, they've already earned the respect of their foes. The best thing is they're nowhere near their primes just yet.