The development of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum were key going into this season for the Boston Celtics. Prior to the team's matchup against the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday, Mavs head coach Rick Carlisle mentioned Brown, Tatum along with point guard Kemba Walker as “All-Star caliber players.”

That's not a big surprise to many Celtics fans who have expected the young Tatum-Brown to develop this season. Despite a myriad of injuries, the Celtics are 17-7 on the season and sit in third place in the Eastern Conference. Breakout seasons from both Brown and Tatum are a big part of that success.

After signing a four-year $115 million dollar contract extension this offseason, expectations were high for Brown. The 6-foot-7 wing has delivered averaging a career-high 19.3 points along with 6.9 rebounds on 50 percent shooting. Last season, the former No. 3 overall pick primarily came off the bench for Boston where he averaged 13.0 points and 4.2 rebounds.

Tatum has also enjoyed a solid year. The 21-year-old forward has upped his per game scoring from 15.7 last year to 20.6 in 2019. The No. 3 pick in the 2018 NBA draft is also adding 7.0 rebounds and 2.9 assists.

While both Brown and Tatum have yet to make an All-Star game in their short careers, Celtics point guard Kemba Walker has been there and done that. In his first year in Boston, the three-time NBA All-Star is putting up a team-high 23.1 points per game along with 5.3 assists and 4.2 rebounds.

Other than the Walker-Tatum-Brown trio, Boston also has small forward Gordon Hayward who is averaging 17.5 points, 6.1 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game. However, the 29-year-old will miss the Mavs game with a foot injury.