The Boston Celtics enter the 2022-23 NBA campaign with high expectations after coming up two victories short of a championship last season.
The C's are determined to get back to the Finals and finish the job, and for that to happen, they need their two stars, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, to reach an even higher level.
Tatum set career highs by averaging 26.9 points, eight rebounds and 4.4 assists per game in 2021-22. He also was named an All-Star starter and got selected to the All-NBA first team. Brown played well, too, averaging 23.6 points and 6.1 rebounds per game.
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What kind of expectations should we have for Tatum and Brown entering the new season?
"I'm expecting both of them to take big jumps," Eddie House said on NBC Sports Boston's "Celtics Pregame Live" before Sunday's preseason opener. "The sour taste of losing in the NBA Finals is motivation enough, but then at the same time you have Jaylen Brown with the chip on his shoulder of like, 'Hey, I was in trade talks for a guy who was older. I'm just now starting to come into my own, I'll be in my prime for six to seven more years. Don't give up on me, I want to be here with the Boston Celtics.'
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"You see him put in rigorous offseason workouts. He documented it. He's talked about it. I'm excited to see him get on the court and prove to everyone that he can be the face of the franchise as well.
"And it's great to have two young guys like this, so why not lock them up and see what you can do with a dynamic duo. We've seen two guys like Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen do it, and do it for a long time. I'm not saying they're Mike and Scottie, but they are young players who are evolving as stars and knocking on the door of superstardom.
"With Jayson Tatum, I think he has a whole lot to prove after the performance in the Finals. Being an All-NBA player and not living up to that All-NBA status in the NBA Finals had to haunt him all offseason. I'm quite sure he put in the work and went into the lab a long time. I'm excited to see these guys take this jump."
The Celtics are the favorites to win the Eastern Conference at most sportsbooks, but they will have plenty of competition from the likes of the Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat.
Speaking of the 76ers, the Celtics will host Philly in the regular season opener Oct. 18 at TD Garden.