Jayson Tatum is back. And with his return comes one of the most compelling storylines the NBA has served up all season: where does Jaylen Brown fit now? Before Friday’s tip-off against the Dallas Mavericks, Shaquille O’Neal had a very specific answer to that question, and he wasn’t shy about delivering it.
Shaq’s Message to Jaylen Brown: Own Your Role As the Number One Option
For 62 games, the Boston Celtics belonged to Jaylen Brown. With Tatum sidelined following a ruptured right Achilles tendon sustained in the 2025 playoffs on May 12, Brown stepped fully into the role of franchise centerpiece and thrived in ways that silenced every remaining doubt about his star credentials.
He averaged 29.2 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 4.6 assists in 14 games in January, including a thriller of 50 points against the Clippers. The Celtics went 41-21 without Tatum, earning the second seed in the Eastern Conference. By every measure, Brown had earned the keys to the car. And on Inside the NBA before Friday’s game, Shaq made it clear he should not be handing them back just because the “owner” walked through the door.
“His counter partner is coming back, so his mentality must maintain, ‘I am the first option, you can ease your way in. This is how we gonna play,'” O’Neal said. He did not stop there. “We all know this was always ‘Tatum’s team’ and he was the second option that played great, but now the tables have turned. So he needs to keep the same mentality and let Tatum be the second guy.”
Shaq says Jaylen Brown needs to keep his number 1 option mindset and let Tatum fall in line as the 2nd option:
“His counter partner is coming back so his mentality must maintain ‘I am the 1st option, you can ease your way in. This is how we gonna play.’ We all know this was… https://t.co/hw7jyRhSdm pic.twitter.com/TiTugaovvq
— NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) March 6, 2026
It was a pointed statement, and one that carries genuine weight. Shaq also aligned himself with LeBron James’ recent take that Brown deserves serious MVP consideration. He argued that the race had become a “popularity contest” for failing to prominently include his name.
Charles Barkley echoed the sentiment from a different angle, directing his message to Tatum. “Jaylen has proven, ‘I can carry us; we’ve got the second-best record, exactly at the same place we were,'” Barkley said.
“Jayson Tatum is in a great situation. He doesn’t have to come back and be ‘Jayson Tatum’ immediately. He can come back and be like, ‘You know what? I’m going to help when I can,’ because it’s going to take him some time to ramp up.”
What the Celtics’ Own People Are Saying
Grant Williams, a former Celtics teammate now with the Charlotte Hornets, heard the noise surrounding Tatum’s return and dismissed it without hesitation. “It’s the same dumb s–t they’ve been talking about since I was here,” Williams told The Athletic.
“Neither one of them should pay any attention to it because they’re both phenomenal human beings, but also phenomenal players. No matter what the media says, they’ve shown that they can play with one another and they add to one another’s games. And no matter who gets the attention, no matter who gets the praise, the ultimate goal is winning.”
Williams also made a point about what Tatum’s return actually means for the broader roster. “He’s an All-NBA player. And adding an All-NBA player to this roster is going to take them to another level. He’s going to impact the game both on the offensive and defensive side of the basketball.”
The history between Tatum and Brown supports that optimism. Since Tatum’s rookie season in 2017, the Celtics have won more playoff games than any other franchise. It’s a number built on two stars consistently choosing the team over personal narrative.
In January 2022, when Boston sat in 11th place, and the outside world questioned whether the pairing could ever work, the two sat together in film sessions and figured it out. “I felt like it was a breaking point,” Tatum said at the time. “It was either going to make or break the season. And we got closer instead of separating.”
With 20 games left and a championship window wide open, there is every reason to believe they will find their way to the same page once more.
