The Case for
Jaylen Brown

Look at the two elite scoring trajectories Boston has built under one roof. Tatum's career average of 23.6 points per game and Brown's 19.7 don't tell the full story. That career number for Brown is weighed down by his first two seasons as a raw, developing wing off the bench. The arcs these two have traced are what matter.

Brown entered the league averaging just 6.6 points as a rookie in 2016-17. This season, he is pouring in 29.3 per game, a jump of nearly 23 points that represents one of the steepest scoring ascents in modern NBA history. Tatum's arc peaked at 30.1 in 2022-23, before settling to 26.8 last season. These are two players who have both reached 30-point-per-game caliber. The fact that Brown has stepped up and thrived with Tatum sidelined in 2025-26 doesn't diminish their partnership — it proves the depth of this duo. Boston has a second star who can carry an offense on his own.

What makes their scoring tandem so lethal is that they attack differently. Brown's career field goal percentage of .479 comfortably beats Tatum's .459. Brown has shot a higher percentage from the field in nearly every season they've played together. He is the hyper-efficient scorer who punishes defenses for every look he gets, while Tatum generates higher volume and creates looks for himself and others. Together, they present an impossible choice for opposing defenses.

This is what Tatum brings to the table that perfectly complements Brown. He is the all-around engine: career averages of 7.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game meaningfully outpace Brown's 5.4 and 2.8. Tatum is also the superior shot-blocker at 0.7 blocks per game versus 0.4. The radar chart below makes their different profiles unmistakable.

But the radar also reveals why these two fit together so well: Brown's shooting efficiency edge. That FG% advantage gives Brown the category where his slice of the chart pushes beyond Tatum's. Steals are essentially a wash ( 1.0 vs 1.1). Their profiles are genuinely different, and that is exactly the point. Brown's efficiency paired with Tatum's all-around versatility creates a duo that is nearly impossible to game-plan against. You cannot build a defensive scheme that takes away both of them.

The NBA defines "clutch time" as the final five minutes of a game with a margin of five points or fewer. It is the crucible where games are decided. And what the data reveals is that Brown and Tatum have evolved into different but equally valuable late-game weapons. Brown is the closer. Tatum is the facilitator and gravity creator. Together, they give Boston two viable options when the pressure is highest.

Tatum entered the league as an electric clutch performer, shooting a scorching .588 from the field in clutch situations during his rookie year. Over time, his role has shifted: by 2022-23 he was hitting .351 in the clutch, recovering to .361 in 2023-24 and .427 in 2024-25. But that evolution coincides with Tatum taking on more of a playmaking and defensive-attention role in late-game situations. Meanwhile, Brown has thrived as the finisher, posting clutch shooting marks of .500 in 2023-24 and .511 in 2024-25. Having a partner like Tatum who commands double-teams is a major reason Brown gets the looks he does.

Over the last three seasons, Brown's average clutch field goal percentage sits near 48% compared to Tatum's 38%. Brown's clutch plus/minus has been consistently positive, averaging around +1.7 in that stretch, while Tatum's has hovered closer to +1.6 despite dipping negative in 2021-22. The numbers tell the story of a duo that has organically sorted itself into complementary roles: Tatum draws the defense, Brown delivers the dagger. Most teams would kill for one reliable clutch option. Boston has two players who make each other more dangerous when the game is on the line.

Advanced metrics reveal the sheer volume of value these two generate together. Tatum's 2024-25 PER of 21.7 compared to Brown's current 22.3 is remarkably close, though historically Tatum has led comfortably, peaking at 23.7 in 2022-23. In Win Shares, Box Plus/Minus, and Value Over Replacement Player, Tatum's all-encompassing impact is staggering: 9.5 Win Shares and 5.2 BPM in 2024-25 alone. Pair that with Brown's efficiency-driven production and you have one of the most potent duos in the league by any advanced measure.

These metrics capture cumulative value over full 48-minute games, 82-game seasons. Tatum dominates the all-encompassing stats because his game touches every part of a possession — rebounding, playmaking, scoring, defense. Brown's value shows up differently: elite efficiency, clutch production, and the ability to be the primary option when called upon. A team with Tatum's broad impact and Brown's pointed efficiency isn't choosing between two styles. It has both.