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Around Christmas and the New Year, the NBA discussions are usually only about one thing – the All-Star game. On Christmas Day, the NBA opens up All-Star starters voting. Usually, the process gives us an insight into which players have caught the eye of NBA fans. One team that cannot focus on the All-Star game this season is the Boston Celtics. They are in a dire fight for a postseason spot in the Eastern Conference and they are falling behind due to their 17-19 record, only good enough for the 9th spot in the East. However, some of their players are having good seasons. To give them some recognition, here are two Celtics players who need to be All-Stars.
Celtics All-Star players
Starting with one player who is fairly obvious, Jayson Tatum should continue his run of All-Star appearances. He made his first All-Star appearance in the 2019-20 season, continued with the 2021 All-Star Weekend, and should be in Cleveland come February again. The former Duke forward has taken a small step back this season, but his numbers still warrant a spot in the All-Star squad. The Celtics still heavily rely on him and his heroics to get wins.
As stated above, his pure numbers did take a hit this season. He is averaging 25.6 points, 8.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists, on 41.7% shooting from the field, and 32.9% from three-point territory. Other than rebounds, these are worse numbers than his 2020-21 season, where he was an All-Star, but they are still impressive. His efficiency took a dip simply because the Celtics lost Kemba Walker this summer, meaning that more offensive responsibility fell on his shoulders. With more responsibility, usually, comes smaller field goal percentages. His scoring average, however, should still keep him there for the third year in a row.
Tatum is also the undisputed leader of a team that came into a season with a rookie coach in Ime Udoka and without a true point guard. Right now, the Celtics have Marcus Smart and Dennis Schroder, along with occasional appearances by Payton Pritchard, occupying the playmaking role. Both of these players are not natural facilitators and distributors, meaning that even more responsibility fell on Tatum to create for himself. In these circumstances, the narrative should be that he is doing well, considering the context of the situation.
Tatum will definitely not occupy one of the starter spots, that belong to Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Joel Embiid, but the field thins after that. Jimmy Butler will be ahead of everyone else, including Tatum, but the Celtics forward has definitely had a better season than the rest of the field that includes Pascal Siakam. With a few forward spots available on the bench, Tatum should be a no-brainer going forward.
With a fairly shallow roster, the best bet for the second year in a row for the Celtics with two All-Stars is probably Jaylen Brown. Similar to Tatum, Brown has taken a step back this year, but his numbers are still great. He has taken more responsibility along with Tatum and he is growing into a great complimentary player. If the Celtics can bring someone else to the squad, although it has not worked out with Walker and Kyrie Irving, their current duo might be the best possible foundation for a future contender.
Brown has been great this year, averaging 23.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.2 steals, on 44.1% shooting, and 35.1% shooting from behind the arc. These numbers are lower than last year, especially in terms of efficiency, where Brown had 48% from the field and almost 40% for three. However, these are not causes for concern, as Brown has had the same issues as Tatum with the Celtics' lack of a true ball distributor. If someone like Ricky Rubio joined them, the Celtics would be looking a lot better right now, and Brown with them.
Even though he is not as good as last year, there are not many guards that Brown would be that much behind. Of course, the starters are more or less already set, with DeMar DeRozan, Trae Young, Zach LaVine, and Bradley Beal in serious contention. After them, however, the field is very thin and Brown should be able to secure a spot. His biggest competition is Tyler Herro and Fred VanVleet, both guys who are having a statistically worse season than him. Herro does have a better record with the Heat than Brown with the Celtics, but team success is not that relevant in All-Star voting.
The Celtics have had at least two All-Star players for three out of the last four years, and with the emergence of Tatum, they should have at least one for the foreseeable future. However, due to circumstances, it is a completely legitimate belief that they will repeat the success of last season and have two representatives in the upcoming 2022 All-Star game in Cleveland, come February.
