Brandon Jennings says Jayson Tatum is not Top 5 Boston Celtics ever – “Jaylen Brown? No, you look like a Finals MVP and you looked like he was the best player this whole time” originally appeared on Basketball Network.
When you’re the most decorated franchise in NBA history, it’s clear what kind of legendary names have passed through your locker room over the years. Of course, we’re talking about the Boston Celtics, and two names that are synonymous with the green jersey are certainly Bill Russell and Larry Bird.
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Many more names carved out their legacy by winning rings, and Jayson Tatum is the one leading the current generation. He seems poised to enter the Celtics’ all-time great pantheon. However, Brandon Jennings doesn’t even view him as the best player on this team.
“So, we got Bill Russell, we got Paul Pierce, we got Kevin McHale and we got fu-king Kevin Garnett” Jennings said on the Gil’s Arena podcast. “KG is a dog, he’s a dog. When it comes to Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum — Brown is supposed to look like a number two option. But Jaylen Brown? No, you look like a Finals MVP and you looked like he was the best player this whole time.”
Tatum set a goal long ago
Even though 2024 was a phenomenal year for Tatum — winning both an NBA ring and Olympic gold at what many called the toughest Olympics ever — he still missed out on the Finals MVP title and didn’t get much playing time for Team USA. To make matters worse, he injured his Achilles tendon in the Eastern Conference semifinals this season, and it’s almost certain we won’t see him next year at all.
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In a split second, he went from having a chance to build a Celtics dynasty to facing an uncertain future. Still, people forget that he’s very young, and he already has six Eastern Conference finals appearances and two NBA Finals appearances under his belt. He set a goal long ago: surpassing Larry Bird as the greatest Celtic ever.
“Once you win a championship, it’s like, alright, you can be in those rooms with the Celtics legends. But it doesn’t just stop at one. You’ve obviously got to win multiple, and that’s what we’re trying to do,” JT continued, talking about his admiration for Bird. “And I always wanted to be the best. And he’s, in my opinion, the best Celtic ever, and he did it the right way, and he’s a great guy to chase in a sense,” Tatum concluded.
That second ring could have pushed him way up the Celtics hierarchy
From today’s perspective, Tatum is certainly far from reaching Bird’s level. Just a month ago, many saw the Celtics as guaranteed title defenders, and Tatum quietly believed this would be the year he proves he’s the true Finals MVP. That second ring could have pushed him way up the Celtics hierarchy, but he remains stuck at one for now.
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Even if Tatum were to win another ring or two, it’s still hard to see him on Larry Bird’s level, considering all the individual accolades Bird achieved in his career. Three MVP awards and two Finals MVPs speak for themselves. But there’s an interesting detail — just like Tatum, Bird didn’t win Finals MVP in his first championship run, despite averaging a dominant double-double of 15.3 points and 15.3 rebounds per game. That honor went to Cedric Maxwell, whose No.31 jersey Boston ultimately never retired. In that, Tatum might be able to find his inspiration going forward.
We’ll also see if he has that Mamba mentality like his idol, Kobe Bryant, when he returned from a torn Achilles. But until then, Jennings’ words will probably hold true — that at least for now, he’s not a Top 5 Celtic of all time. Let’s also not forget names like Robert Parish, Bob Cousy, Sam Jones, Ray Allen, Bill Walton, John Havlicek, or Dave Cowens. Tatum still has a long way to go before reaching Bird’s level.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 12, 2025, where it first appeared.