Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are rising stars in Boston, so it’s no surprise the Celtics duo received high praise from one of their former teammates who was traded to the Phoenix Suns this offseason.
Aron Baynes has watched the development of Tatum and Brown for the last two years, and he’s confident they’ll both be NBA superstars soon enough.
“Definitely (he’s ready to reach superstar status),” Baynes said, referring to Tatum, according to ESPN’s Niall Seewang.
“He’s so talented — even from the first day I played with him when he was a rookie in his first preseason, you could see how talented he was offensively and he also wants to work on the defensive end which isn’t common in the NBA — some guys live on that offensive talent but he wants to develop his all-round game. He’s going to be a fun one to continue to watch.”
The former Celtics center noted Tatum and Brown are thirsty to improve their games, something that bodes well for each player’s NBA future.
“Those guys are still in their rookie contracts and they’re looking to prove themselves over the next couple of years and they definitely have all the tools to do it,” Baynes said, per Seewang. “They’re competitors, I’ve played against them all the time in practice and I know what they’re capable of … and it’s fun to play alongside them. But right now they’re wearing the wrong colors and I’m not going to take a backward step against them.”
Tatum, Brown and Team USA will meet Baynes and the Australian men’s national basketball team Thursday as exhibition games continue in preparation for the FIBA World Cup.
