The Boston Celtics are showing off their depth and mental cohesiveness in these playoffs, going up 3-0 against a talented Philadelphia 76ers team in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Brad Stevens, Al Horford, and Terry Rozier have all garnered a significant amount of praise as of late. Stevens continues to prove why he's one of the best basketball minds in the NBA today. Horford has provided leadership and stability to an injury-plagued group. Rozier has become a revelation in the playoffs by admirably filling in for All-Star guard Kyrie Irving.
Beyond these three heavy contributors, two Celtics players are also grabbing the most of the opportunity presented to them — Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
These two young studs represent the future of Boston and they are giving fans every reason to believe that their future is in good hands. Tatum has been on fire, and consistently at that, recording five-straight 20-point games. Meanwhile, Brown continues to show his heart and determination that is easily recognized by a fanbase that has seen plenty of such through their team's storied history.
Furthermore, these two are also on a historic run that's never been done in the NBA. Here's what Reddit user u/rusty8642 discovered:
Since the addition of the 3-point line, only two players under 21 in playoff history have EVER averaged
16+ PPG
≤ 35 MPG
Those two players are Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
They are definitely thriving under all the pressure at a very young age. It'll only become more interesting next season once Irving and fellow All-Star Gordon Hayward return. It'll be a new challenge for Brown and Tatum, but it's easy to trust in their genius of a coach that their momentum this season won't experience a premature stop in 2018-19.