Who could be the next face of the NBA after LeBron James retires? Does Jayson Tatum have a shot?
Who could be the next face of the NBA after Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James retires? Potential candidates to accede to such a status include Dallas Mavericks star forward Luka Doncic and All-NBA Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, who are frequently mentioned in such conversation.
But there’s no clear heir apparent among analysts of the league so far.
Golden State Warriors legend Stephen Curry and star Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant are still elite but getting older, and younger stars like Doncic and Tatum haven’t won championships with their respective teams yet.
And what about rising stars like Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards and Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander?
Could Tatum, the NBA’s most-endorsed player, take LeBron’s place?
Celtics’ ‘too small’ post comes back to haunt them vs. Warriors
Celtics’ ‘too small’ post comes back to haunt them vs. Warriors originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
There were a handful of moments on the court the Boston Celtics probably would like back from the 132-126 overtime loss to the Warriors on Tuesday at Chase Center.
One, in particular, was a celebration from star shooting guard Jaylen Brown that aged very poorly.
With Boston leading Golden State 81-70 with 6:13 remaining in the third quarter, Brown, matched up with Warriors guard Steph Curry, worked his way into the paint where he dropped in the basket over Curry and was awarded the foul.
Jaylen Brown hit Curry with the "too small" 👀
Steph has 5 fouls midway through the 3rd 😬 pic.twitter.com/pjy4hoaiUS
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 20, 2023
The 6-foot-6 Brown then proceeded to do the “too small” celebration after the mismatch with the 6-foot-2 Curry.
The official Celtics account on X, formerly known as Twitter, posted an image of Brown’s celebration that soon was ratioed by Warriors and NBA fans alike.
too small 😤 pic.twitter.com/Bz0QD6rRWY
— Boston Celtics (@celtics)
December 20, 2023
In speaking to reporters after the game, Brown was asked about his celebration and downplayed its significance while complimenting both Curry and Klay Thompson for the shots they made in the fourth quarter and overtime that helped seal Boston’s fate.
“Just basketball. Competing,” Brown said. “Got a mismatch. Any time I’ve got a small in the area i’m going to take advantage. We were trying to get them in some more actions down the line, but they did a good job of hiding them and he made us pay down the line. We’ve got to figure out how to attack when we have that momentum.”
“At times I feel like we got a little stagnant on defense in a sense and we were supposed to be a little bit more aggressive and they were able to take advantage to some extent. They made some tough shots though. Klay made a big three and Steph came back down and made another big three. But those are some of the best shooters this game has ever seen so at the end of the night that can happen and we gotta do a better job.”
Brown and the Celtics know firsthand what Curry and the Warriors are capable of with their backs against the wall after losing to Golden State in the 2022 NBA Finals and learned another tough lesson on Tuesday night.
