Stephen A. Smith Believes Celtics Can Win With Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown

After the Boston Celtics failed to defeat the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference finals, it seems as though many NBA personalities have an opinion on whether or not the franchise can win Banner 18 with star players Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith said on “First Take” he believes the duo can bring a championship back to Boston, and it wouldn’t make sense to break them up.

“Listen, Jaylen Brown is 26 years old. Jayson Tatum is 25. You’re not going to get me to look at two dudes, one averaging 30 in Tatum and another averaging 26 in Jaylen Brown at this age with five times they’ve been to conference finals and went to an NBA Finals,” Smith said on the show Tuesday. “So you’re not going to get me to look at them as a finished product. These guys can still soar if they want to; to me, it’s the want-to factor. Jaylen Brown that comes into play.”

Smith went on to say that if Brown recognizes that Tatum is the number one guy and Brown is still loved and respected on the team as the “1B”, there is no reason for Brown not to be offered the supermax extension. The only way he thinks the Celtics should part ways with Brown would be if Brown wanted to be the number one offensive option on the court.

“Considering their youth and their skillset and their accomplishments up to this point. They are knocking on the door,” Smith said. “We can’t definitively look at any team, that includes the Miami Heat who just beat them. … We can’t look at any team and definitively say they’re better than the Boston Celtics and they would take them out next year and beyond with those two dudes on the squad if they’re committed to playing together, but I would need that commitment in order to feel good about them staying together.”