Ex-NBA Star Calls Out Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown For ‘Westbrook Syndrome’

Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are the backbone of the Boston Celtics’ roster.

Losing to the Miami Heat in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals doesn’t change that. Nor does their uncertain future together with Brown eligible for a supermax contract extension this NBA offseason.

But there’s certainly a level of inconsistency to the Celtics that has doomed them in their effort to hang Banner 18. And Boston’s most recent playoff run reminded Hall of Famer Rick Barry of another NBA superstar who struggles in that department.

“Both Brown and Tatum, who are two talented players, suffer from what I call (Russell) Westbrook syndrome,” Barry told Eric Jay Santos of SI.com’s Inside The Celtics. “Westbrook is an incredible talent. I love how hard he plays, but he tries to force things. In the game of basketball, you should always be taking what the defense gives you. … Both Jaylen and Jayson, they have a tendency to force things and end up getting a lot of turnovers.”

Westbrook’s stock has plummeted over the last few seasons, but he was a perennial All-Star and a triple-double machine at his peak. It’s not exactly an apples-to-apples comparison, but Boston’s tandem, like Westbrook, oftentimes falls victim to its shortcomings rather than playing with the appropriate amount of patience and cohesion to make life treacherous for opponents.

Brown was especially bad in Boston’s season-ending defeat, committing eight turnovers while shooting 8 of 23 from the field, including 1-for-9 from 3-point range.

That performance, understandably, raised more questions about Brown’s ability to step up in big moments, but there’s no denying the talent both him and Tatum possess. As such, breaking up the dynamic duo would be a bold move by Boston.

All told, the Celtics’ best course of action might be to run it back next season with the same core intact. Although, both Tatum and Brown will need to make adjustments to avoid a similar fate in the 2023-24 campaign.