Celtics urged to take chance on former Pacers youngster with Jayson Tatum out

Celtics urged to take chance on former Pacers youngster with Jayson Tatum out originally appeared on The Sporting News

The Boston Celtics will have a strange season next year, and that's all due to Jayson Tatum's injury. At the end of the day, he's one of the best players in the NBA for a reason, and it's impossible to replace that type of player. 

Tatum is as good as he is, and unfortunately, the Celtics will have to be without him. 

However, the organization might view next season as an opportunity to give some young players a chance, whether they're on the roster right now or in the future. 

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That includes a former summer league player, Kendall Brown.

Brown has been around the league a bit over the past few years, appearing in games for the Indiana Pacers from 2022 to 2024. The Celtics likely don't view him as a potential replacement for Tatum by any means, but again, if they want to give some young guys an opportunity, he could be an intriguing option. 

Rishav Bhat of ClutchPoints recently proposed the idea of them doing just that, noting that he was their most impressive player in the summer league, and might be a fit for what the Celtics are looking to do. 

“At just 22 years old, he still has room to grow physically and can easily develop into an off-the-ball scorer with a solid defensive foundation. Whether the Celtics decide to offer him a two-way contract or an Exhibit-10 deal, Brown has already proven that he belongs in the NBA and has the fighting spirit to recover from the many setbacks his career has already seen.

“As far as the Celtics’ summer league campaign goes, Kendall Brown is easily the most intriguing prospect who deserves time in the NBA,” he wrote. 

As he mentioned, being 22 years old in this situation is certainly enticing. If the Celtics could find another young player to give them minutes over the next few years, they'd be in an even better position than they are when healthy.