Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum both came as a product of the infamous Paul Pierce trade with the Brooklyn Nets. The Boston Celtics didn't need to go through hell to rebuild and go back to contention right away.
But it wasn't always pretty. For the most part of their development, fans and analysts thought maybe they wouldn't be able to succeed together. They were great on their own and would gauge nice returns in the trade market, so why not break them up?
Both Danny Ainge and Brad Stevens were adamant about doing so. Even when it seemed like the Celtics weren't even going to make the playoffs, they trusted their young do to lead the way. And it paid off.
NBA News: Jayson Tatum Says Competitiveness Drives Him And Jaylen Brown Together
So, when asked about their relationship, Tatum pointed out how competitiveness and their desire to prove everybody wrong pushed them together. Now, they're in the NBA Finals against all odds:
“It’s just two young extremely competitive guys that just really want to win at all cost," Tatum said. "I think, obviously, that made us closer in a sense that we just wanted to figure it out. Not necessarily prove people wrong, but just prove that we can win and put ourselves in a position to do that."
“And it was tough. At certain times, we were 3 games under .500 and the 11th seed. I’m sure not many would have people thought we would have got to this point. But there was always a sense of belief between us and the group that we were capable of figuring it out," the young star added.
Sometimes, front offices are pressured into making moves they didn't want to make. So, props to the Celtics for staying patient and giving their young stars another chance to shine and prove people wrong.
