Writer Makes Bold Celtics Prediction For Second Half Of NBA Season

Will the Boston Celtics’ Jaylen Brown or Jayson Tatum bask in individual glory when the 2020-21 NBA season ends?

ESPN’s Tim Bontemps predicted Monday morning one or both of the Celtics star forwards will earn All-NBA recognition this season. Brown and Tatum represented the Celtics in the NBA All-Star Game on Sunday, and Bontemps believes both will continue to perform at an elite level to Boston’s benefit.

“Either Jaylen Brown or Jayson Tatum (or both) will make an All-NBA team,” Bontemps wrote. “Both are going to have plenty of competition for an All-NBA spot, but with both having terrific seasons and the Celtics likely to finish among the top four or five in the East, I think at least one will get an All-NBA honor at season’s end.”

Tatum made the All-NBA third team last season, becoming the youngest player in Celtics history to do so. If he achieves All-NBA status in 2021, he’ll become the first Boston player to do so in consecutive seasons since Paul Pierce in 2008 and 2009.

Brown’s progression into an NBA All-Star is one of the most pleasant developments of the season. He and Tatum both must at least sustain their high-performance level in order to be in the All-NBA conversation. They likely will have to raise their respective games in order to cement themselves in that lofty status.

The Celtics on Thursday will begin the second half of their 2020-21 schedule. They’ll play 36 games games in the ensuing 73 days, giving Brown and Tatum plenty of opportunities, but little time, to prove themselves as All-NBA players.

Perhaps the best thing they can do in order to make Bontemps’ prediction come true is win. A lot.