Why Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum Should Make the All-Star Team

Coming into the season, it was understandable to be pessimistic about the Boston Celtics. The team was fresh off a disappointing season where they failed to reach the Eastern Conference Finals. They lost Al Horford and Kyrie Irving, forcing the team to replace two All-Stars. While Kemba Walker has been excellent for the Celtics, the real story has been the emergence of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum as legitimate All-Star players.

Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum have been incredible this season for the Boston Celtics. Jayson Tatum appears to have taken the next step in his development, becoming the first option on a playoff team. Tatum, not All-NBA guard Kemba Walker, leads the Celtics in field goal attempts and is second on the team in scoring by 1 PPG.

As a frontcourt player, Tatum has a tougher road toward making his first All-Star team. In the East, there is Embiid, Giannis, and Siakam who are locks to make the team. After that, an argument can be made that Tatum has been better than the rest of the frontcourt players, averaging 20 points a game, which ranks fourth among frontcourt players, with elite defense for Boston. While Tatum’s efficiency needs to improve, his production at this time is worthy of a reserve spot in the All-Star game.

Jaylen Brown has taken the bigger step out of the two Celtic wings, and he has a much better case to become an All-Star this season. Brown is averaging 20,7,3 on 50/40/75 and some of the best defense by any guard in the entire conference. Brown ranks ninth in the East in field goal percentage, first among guards.

Also, his 40% three-point percentage on 5 attempts ranks ninth among players in the East with 5 attempts or more. Jaylen Brown has been one of the most efficient players in the conference, and combined with his elite defense should be a no-brainer pick for the All-Star team.