Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown were been named All-NBA Wednesday night, just 24 hours ahead of the Celtics pivotal Game 6 against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Tatum made the first team (for the second straight season) while Brown (his first overall selection) made the second team, making both All-Star wings eligible for supermax extensions.
Voting results for the 2022-23 Kia All-NBA Team ⬇️
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) May 10, 2023
Complete voting results available here: https://t.co/N4DxL3FiGh pic.twitter.com/A4DzaEb8Co
According to current NBA rules, players are eligible for the supermax if they have been in the league at least seven years and are named to an All-NBA team either the previous season or both years before it.
Brown, who is in his seventh season -- averaged 26.6 points (career-best), 6.9 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game -- is eligible to sign a five-year, $295 million contract extension this summer.
Tatum, who is in his sixth season -- averaged a career-best in points (30.1), rebounds (8.8) and assists (4.6) per game -- is eligible to sign a five year, $318 million contract extension next offseason (due to making All-NBA this year and last).
While the Celtics don't have to offer their current superstars either deal, it's hard to imagine that they won't, especially to Brown -- who shot a career-high 49% from the field to go with 34% from behind the arc and a career-high 77% from the free throw line -- whether they win a title this year or not.
Tatum, is also likely to be given the bag next summer, barring any major injury. He's coming off this season shooting 46.6% from the floor, 35% from deep and 85.4% from the charity stripe.
The Celtics have two players on the All-NBA teams in the same season for the first time since the 2007-08 campaign when Kevin Garnett (first team) and Paul Pierce (third team) were selected. Before that championship season, the previous time the C's had two All-NBA players was 1986-87 when Larry Bird and Kevin McHale both were voted to the first team.
In the meantime, Tatum and Brown find themselves on the brink of elimination, trailing 3-2 to the Sixers in the second-round of the East semis. Despite these accolades, it would be ironic to have their season come to and end tonight in Game 6 after the Celtics' NBA Finals run less than a year ago.
Joel Pavón
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