Jaylen Brown received his All-Star game minutes from Jayson Tatum, who won MVP.
Written by sterada@masslive.com’s Souichi Terada
Although defense was mostly optional in this year’s All-Star game, there was still some uncertainty late in the contest about who would win MVP of the All-Star game. Jayson Tatum won the trophy the previous season after scoring 55 points and inspiring his Team Giannis to victory.
The MVP was going to come from that conference because the East led for much the whole game. Tyrese Haliburton, Jaylen Brown, and Damian Lillard were among the contenders for the honor. In light of Brown’s potential win, Bill Simmons disclosed on his podcast that Tatum attempted to aid his teammate during the All-Star game.
It reached that stage in the All-Star game, when everyone was vying for MVP, according to Simmons. “The East was up by 20. Haliburton, Jaylen Brown, and Dame were all in there pushing for it. “Give Jaylen my minutes, I want to see him get MVP,” Tatum told to Doc Rivers. Those men seem like they get along. That seems like a true dynamic to me.
Lillard scored 39 points to win the honor. Brown, who finished with 36 points and 8 rebounds, was on the verge of leaving his own impression, though. Brown and Tatum both finished with 22 minutes apiece, making him the only East bench player to play for more than 20 minutes.
In any case, Tatum, who finished with 20 points of his own, made a kind gesture. As he acknowledged in the days preceding the game, he wasn’t exactly aiming for consecutive MVP honors. However, as he tried to set up his friend, Tatum was obviously aware that Brown had a chance to win the trophy. As long as the East vs. West structure stays the same, Tatum might be able to help Brown in the future.
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