The numbers for Jayson Tatum were stark. Tatum finished the Celtics' second-round series against the Bucks with averages of 12.0 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists. He shot 34.3 percent from the field and a miserable 10.7 percent from the 3-point line.
His teammate, Jaylen Brown, was one of the few bright spots for the Celtics in the series, which saw Boston lose four straight after winning the opener in Milwaukee. Brown averaged 16.2 points with 5.0 rebounds against the Bucks. He shot 45.5 percent and made 25.2 percent of his 3-pointers, though he was at 38.1 percent prior to his 0-for-5 showing in Game 5.
LIVE: Today's NBA scores, updates, TV schedule
With a potential Celtics trade for Anthony Davis looming — or, just as consequential, no trade for Davis — and Kyrie Irving heading into free agency, the notion of Brown vs. Tatum is bubbling up again. Tatum seemed to shut down that sort of discussion over the course of his rookie season, but his struggles this season and during the playoffs have eroded his once sky-high value.
If the Celtics are pushing for trades this offseason, the question of how other teams value Tatum and Brown relative to each other is important because the team figures to make one or the other — but not both — the centerpiece of an offer for a superstar this summer.
"Between Jaylen and Jayson," one general manager told SN, "it’s probably closer than you’d think."
Of course, the Celtics might pull back on that and instead focus on keeping both Tatum and Brown and getting them to grow more in Boston’s current system. There are voices within the Celtics organization, sources told SN, that want them to make their development the priority over chasing free agents.
Team president Danny Ainge, though, still has eyes for Davis and still wants to convert assets into a superteam of stars. But after polling a variety of NBA-types — assistant coaches from the East and the West, plus two general managers — we found a wide range of opinions on the value of Brown and Tatum.
Overall: Jaylen Brown vs. Jayson Tatum
Everyone involved conceded that Tatum, who is only 21, is the player with the higher ceiling, that he has the potential to be a reliable 20-points-per-game scorer sooner rather than later. There was dysfunction in Boston, and the view was that Tatum got scrambled in that, unsure when he should shoot and too prone to isolation play leading to poor shots.
Brown (who is 22) also got swept up in the Celtics’ rotational logjam, and though he was more publicly outspoken about the problems of the team, he handled the adversity better than Tatum.
DEVENEY: Irving's Celtics tenure ending with a shrug, not a celebration
GM 1: "Here’s the thing: You can build a team around Jayson Tatum. He can be your No. 1 option. I really believe that. He can create for himself. He can get to his spots. He has a beautiful shot. But I don’t know if you can win with Jayson Tatum as your No. 1 guy. So if you’re rebuilding, you know, you have to think about that.
"Jaylen Brown is going to come in and just be an all-around role player who can do a lot of things, who can shoot from the outside, finish at the rim, is a very, very smart young man, knows how to fit into a system. So yes, Tatum is better, but if you’re giving me Jaylen Brown and a first-round pick or Tatum? You’d have to think about that."
GM 2: "I just think what I saw with Tatum is a guy who could not get outside his own head. I mean, he got worse throughout the year. He just lost confidence. I think he gets a mulligan on that. I look at what he did last year, and that is the kind of player he can be. I don’t think Jaylen Brown is an All-Star. Jayson Tatum can be."
Scoring: Jaylen Brown vs. Jayson Tatum
Tatum was not bad this year, with averages of 15.7 points, 45.0 percent shooting and 37.3 percent 3-point shooting. But he didn’t much build on his season-long improvement from last year and too often leaned on forcing midrange shots outside the offense.
Brown averaged 13.0 points (about the same as Tatum on a per-48-minute basis) while shooting 46.5 percent from the field and 34.4 percent from the 3-point line. While Tatum struggled to find his place as the season went on, Brown thrived after the All-Star break, making 50.2 percent of his shots and 41.3 percent of his 3-pointers.
CELTICS VS. BUCKS: Takeaways from Milwaukee's Game 5 win
Eastern conference assistant coach: "It’s not that Tatum just took a lot of midrange shots that it was clear Brad [Stevens] doesn’t really want in that offense. It’s that he was terrible at them. If you’re in the low-30s shooting from the midrange, then you stop shooting midrange shots. He was a lot more reluctant to attack the rim, which is too bad, because he is a good finisher.
"I think offensively, Jaylen Brown is a lot more aware of who he is. A good shooter, a guy who steps back to the 3-point line, and a great finisher at the rim. He is really good in the corners, but they didn’t get him into those spots as much this year. That’s the one thing about him."
GM2: "Tatum is 21. I don’t think there are many scorers in this league who are 21 that I would take ahead of Tatum. I think there has been a tendency to take this year and judge Tatum by it, but there was a lot more going on that I think derailed him. He’s still one of the top three or four guys in his age group. He just needs to get back on track. Jaylen Brown is a very good role player. Tatum has star ability."
Defense: Jaylen Brown vs. Jayson Tatum
Brown came out of California three years ago as a defensive-minded player who guarded all positions and ran Cal’s offense on the other end. Early in his Celtics career, he was groomed as a defensive stopper, but his defensive development has been inconsistent even as he maintains the potential to be an elite defender.
Tatum, on the other hand, didn’t have much reputation for defense coming into his NBA career, but he has proven more effective than expected on that end.
MORE: Knicks coach David Fizdale reveals free-agency pitch
Western Conference assistant coach: "I watched a lot of Jaylen when he was in college, and I thought for a long time he has the ability to be an outstanding defender because of his length, his intelligence, his athleticism. He understands defense. But he still has not really locked in as a defensive player, and I think he has a lot to improve. He could be a lot more decisive. You can catch him in space a lot."
Eastern Conference assistant coach: "Tatum has been a surprise for how he has been defensively. I think he has gotten better this year. He has a great wingspan, and I think struggling offensively, I think that maybe pushed him to give more effort defensively. He can guard 2-through-4, and he can clog passing lanes. He is a good help defender. He’s never going to be elite defensively, but he is a positive on that end."
Mentality: Jaylen Brown vs. Jayson Tatum
Tatum’s name was raised in trade rumors for Anthony Davis in January, and in response, he later said it wouldn’t be so bad because to be dealt for Davis means "I must be doing something pretty well."
Brown, meanwhile, was outspoken about the discord within the Celtics all year, addressing the issue head-on like a veteran leader. "Right now it’s not good," he said back in March. "It’s toxic."
To some, Tatum appeared passive over the course of the season, on the floor and off. Brown was hardly so, and that’s a factor in determining his value.
NBA MOCK DRAFT: Full first-round breakdown
GM1: "I appreciate that when Tatum’s name came up with the trade stuff, Anthony Davis stuff, he shrugged it off and said the right things, didn’t hurt the locker room and all that. But I think part of you wants him to come out and say, ‘If they trade me, they’re gonna regret it.’ You know? I like nice guys when I’m going out to dinner. On my team, I want some ego. I want a guy who thinks he is the best player in the league.
"I am not saying that Jaylen Brown thinks that way, but I would say that he has a mean streak that you wish Tatum had."