The Boston Celtics bested the Los Angeles Clippers 117-112 on Tuesday night, thanks in large part to Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. It also helped the Beantown duo did a solid job guarding Paul George, who had to carry the offensive load in the absence of Kawhi Leonard.
While George had a solid stat line of 32 points, five rebounds and four assists, he pretty much struggled against the Celtics' Jay-Jay tandem. In fact, per ESPN Stats & Info, PG13 shot just 1-of-11 when he was guarded by any of the two.
Paul George finished with 32 points in the Clippers loss vs the Celtics, but went 1-for-11 with 3 points when guarded by Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown pic.twitter.com/EBjrjx59gp
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) March 3, 2021
Indeed, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have made quite the development in their young careers with the Celtics. Tatum was projected to be a Carmelo Anthony-type of scorer for his mid-range game, while Brown had the athleticism and tools to be a well-rounded player. While both had the potential to be solid defenders, that was not the primary reason they were drafted by Boston.
Tatum and Brown are the core of the Celtics, which put them in a position to win now, but they still have upside for the future. They will be representing Boston in the upcoming All-Star Game, with Tatum earning his second nod and Brown getting first.
The Celtics are fourth in the Eastern Conference with an 18-17 record. Point guard Kemba Walker is slowly finding his old form after returning from injury. Their biggest hole is the center rotation though, where head coach Brad Stevens has used a committee approach to fill up.
The good thing for the Clippers is that when Paul George is not defended by players like those two. he is still one of the best “carriages” in the league.
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