Were Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum on the verge of a breakup? It all started after Brown won the Finals MVP over JT, which left fans wondering how happy the latter was with the decision. Moreover, JB was later snubbed by Team USA and did not travel to Paris, despite their need for a replacement for Kawhi. Not only that, Tatum’s initial comments regarding the situation were also not as promising, though he did clear himself later on and clarified, “I want to stay out of it.” Nevertheless, the rumor mill continued churning out stories about their ‘rift’ and it seems Tyrese Haliburton may have cleared some of the dust around all the speculation.

Real Madrid star, Vinicius Jr. recently posted a picture of his signed NBA jersey collection. He framed 15 jerseys, which included Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler, Tyrese Haliburton, Pascal Siakam, LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Jays, and several other players. The Pacer reposted Vini’s collection and reacted on an Instagram story, writing, “It is what it should be!!🔥🔥”. There are fans out there who still believe that the Celtics may have locker room problems as they gear up for the upcoming season.

However, it may just be quite the opposite. Brown seemingly could not let go of his hate for Nike after recently releasing a diss track called ‘Just Do It’. Who cannot connect the dots there? The reason behind the same was that JB believed Nike to have snubbed him from playing in Team USA. On the other hand, Tatum’s DNP raised a lot of questions about Steve Kerr’s hate for the Cs! Quite frankly, JT wasn’t happy with his minutes in Paris. Overall, both players have a boost of motivation, sort of a vengeance, to defend the title.

If anything, the Celtics will be back much stronger next season, already being the favorites to repeat the title run. Jaylen Brown has started working out, whereas Jayson Tatum had quite a busy summer, attending the Jordan tour. Regardless, the duo might be a huge problem even in the growing competition in the East. But can Joe Mazzulla’s team really win it all back-to-back?

Jaylen Brown and Tatum have quite some competition to face

Before anything, things have been quite loud in the East. The Sixers have an upgraded roster, the Knicks recently introduced Mikal Bridges, and the Bucks are on the verge of a comeback hoping to be injury-free this season. Not to mention the emerging teams like the Cavs, the Magic, and the Pacers also barging their way into the condensed playoff competition. Even if the Brown and Tatum-led Celtics manage to make it out of the East, teams coming in from the West will be tougher than ever to go up against.

Their Finals rival, the Mavs, now have a four-time champion, Klay Thompson. The Nuggets will not leave any stones unturned next offseason. Also, the Wolves will be one of the squads, to look out for in the West, as Anthony Edwards will want to live up to his ‘walk the talk’ narrative going strong. If the Mavs and Boston repeat a Finals run, it will be an interesting matchup, considering equal talent on both ends. Luka Doncic will be more motivated than ever to have some showing for his iconic run in Dallas, while he’s been linked with a future move to LA. In short, the Celtics might struggle and even if they keep winning, it won’t be as comfortable as last season.

What are your thoughts on Jaylen Brown and Tatum? Do you think either will ever leave the Celtics? Let us know in the comments.

Feel that you can do with another update from the sport of basketball? Then do check out this recent interview with the up-and-coming Georgia Lady Bulldogs star Asia Avinger.