While the NBA world points fingers at Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown for the Boston Celtics’ struggles against the New York Knicks, one of their ex-teammates has their back.
Grant Williams came to Tatum and Brown’s defense on Friday, weighing in on social media with his thoughts on recent criticisms of the tandem.
“Not even with them anymore but this C’s discourse is wild,” Williams wrote on X. “Everyone has a right to an opinion but JT and JB are Superstars. They are able 2 have bad games but we’ve all witnessed them both takeover. Don’t let recent events cloud your eyes from what they’ve done and accomplished.”
The Celtics fell into a 2-0 hole in the Eastern Conference semifinals after blowing their second consecutive 20-point lead on Wednesday. Tatum scored a season-low 13 points and failed to get the potential game-winning shot off before the final buzzer. He and Brown shot a combined 13-for-42 (30.9 percent) from the floor.
Williams built close relationships with Tatum and Brown during his four-year tenure with Boston from 2019-23. Tatum called WIlliams his “brother for life” before a game against Williams’ current team, the Charlotte Hornets, last year.
Earlier this season, however, Williams drew the ire of his ex-Celtics teammates after a hard foul on Tatum. An irritated Brown went as far as to say, “I thought JT and Grant were friends. I guess not.”
Nonetheless, it’s clear Williams still has the utmost respect for Tatum and Brown, who got over the hump and won their first NBA championship without him in 2024. The duo has a difficult road toward repeating, as Boston must win four of the next five games to stay alive.
The series will shift to Madison Square Garden for Game 3 on Saturday. Coverage of the matchup is set for 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Boston with Celtics Pregame Live.
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