Stephen A. Smith Shares What He Expects From Jaylen Brown in Light of Jayson Tatum’s Injury

In the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals against the New York Knicks, the Boston Celtics received a heavy blow that they did not quite expect. Despite putting one of the most brilliant playoff performances in Game 4, Jayson Tatum went down with a serious injury, which has been diagnosed as an ACL tear. Tatum was immediately escorted off the floor on a wheel chair and many Celtics fans believed their title contention run was over.

Before the injury, Tatum scored 42 points, 8 defensive rebounds, and four assists while shooting 57.1% from the field and 43.8% from the deep. He also had a perfect 3/3 from the free throw line. However, in the midst of Jayson Tatum's injury, Jaylen Brown is expected to step up as the star player to lead the Celtics out of this series.

Stephen A. Smith has a lot of expectations from Brown, who is signed to a $304 million contract with the Celtics. Let's find out what the veteran analyst has to say on JB needing to step up.

Stephen A. Smith Expects Jaylen Brown To Step Up Following Jayson Tatum's Injury

The latest Jason Tatum injury update has been nothing less than harrowing for the Boston Celtics. As per reports from the franchise, though they expect a full recovery from Tatum, there is no return timeline available as of yet. Stephen A. Smith assumes that Tatum could be back perhaps next spring, ahead of 2026 NBA playoffs. However, he believes Tatum will only be a shadow of his former self, coming out from an injury.

In Tatum's absence, Stephen A. Smith expects Jaylen Brown to step up. Brown and Tatum are on a similar $300 million contract, which make them the quintessential franchise players for the Celtics. With that regard, Stephen A. Smith had the following expectations for Jaylen Brown,

Stephen A. Smith nevertheless does not lose hope in the Celtics. He believes the core squad with Derek White, Jrue Holiday, and Kristaps Porzingis can perhaps pull it through the series. This is exactly what they did in Game 5, winning 127-102 against the New York Knicks.

Luke Kornet, Jaylen Brown and Derrick white came in clutch to force a Game 6 in this series. Brown and White posted 26 and 34 points each, with Brown dishing 12 assists in the night. Luke Kornet had seven blocks to keep the Celtics alive in the second round series. Now with Game 6 at the Madison Square Garden, New York, the Celtics will be in a do-or-die situation to either force a Game 7 or get knocked out with the Knicks passing through.