SAD NEWS: Boston Celtics two star player has been suspended due to

Four distinct players might be argued to be Boston’s second most significant player. Is it a brown color? Is it you, or someone else?

Jayson Tatum is unquestionably the finest, most impactful, and hence most valuable player on this Celtics squad. There really isn’t much to argue against that. He’s been an MVP candidate for a few years, and he’s just gotten better at establishing his physicality and creating opportunities for his teammates. As a scorer and a facilitator, he’s the clear focal point of Boston’s offense, and when he puts his mind to it, he’s a first-team all-NBA defense. Yes, I did say that.

The majority of people would say Jaylen Brown. He’s the team’s second most used player and the team’s second leading scorer. He leads the club in drives and is likely the greatest player on the team at getting to the rim, which is important for a team that relies heavily on three-point shooting. When Tatum is not on the court, the offense is usually led by Brown. He’s demonstrated an increased ability to make the right decision once he gets into the paint this season, though I’m still doubtful; his assist numbers are up from last year, while his turnover numbers are down. He is also the C’s most effective transition player. Jaylen descending will\

He’s probably the team’s second best player, but is he the team’s second most important player? Sure, the Celtics appreciate Brown’s ability to get to the rim and leak out on the break, but Jrue Holiday and Derrick White could fit into bigger usage positions and pick up some of those responsibilities if Jaylen wasn’t on the team, right? It should also be emphasized that, despite being a very decent defender (and improving), Jaylen is the poorest defender in the starting five mainly because everyone else is so good. So that side of the floor isn’t always where he adds value.

We must also begin to be concerned about Jaylen’s shooting. He’s only hitting 33.5% of his catch-and-shoot threes, despite the fact that he should be shooting his best in his career given who he’s playing with and the kind of shots he’s receiving. Jrue and Derrick are simply more consistent as knockdown shooters, and this cannot be overstated.

What’s astounding is that four players (including Jaylen Brown) could be argued to be the Celtics’ second most valuable player. I’ve previously presented Brown’s argument, so now I’ll present the others’.

Jrue Holiday’s case is probably the most difficult to make, but it still has some traction. Jrue is used as the primary defender whenever the Celtics face a difficult matchup (Embiid and Giannis spring to mind). His mobility on that end, along with his extraordinary ability to torment offensive players regardless of where they are on the court, makes him by far Boston’s most essential defender. Other players have taken on larger offensive roles to allow Jrue to focus solely on defense, resulting in essentially no possessions off for Holiday – he plays his butt off the entire game. He has been an effective spot up shooter (43% on catch and shoot threes) and a terrific connector on offense. He is also a

Derrick White’s story is intriguing since he has traditionally been regarded as a role player and connector, so how could he be the second most important player on a championship-level team? But White has made a major step forward this season, and the metrics reflect it. His points, assists, rebounds, steals, blocks, field goal percentage, and three-point % are all higher than they were last year. He also has the team’s highest net rating. White is the ideal secondary playmaker or ball handler for the club; he’s a terrific shooter, makes quick, smart judgments, and can punish inferior defenders at the basket. Furthermore, once his usage increases (as in the game),