If you’ve been on X (formerly Twitter) over the last couple of days, you’ve likely seen one (or more) of the following: people trashing Jaylen Brown, Brown fighting back by saying that analytics are ruining his legacy, former players defending Brown by saying analytics are stupid, or hypothetical trades involving the Boston Celtics’ star wing.

I’m sure that, if they haven’t already, rational minds will come out with think pieces arguing that the truth about all of this is somewhere in the middle. Brown is a great basketball player (finishing 15th in our top 25 players of the 2025-26 season), but also a flawed one. Analytics illustrate this, but bad actors use them to push biased agendas. Advanced stats, while not perfect, have done more good than bad for the game of basketball. And it is probably time for the Celtics and Brown to go in their separate directions.

However, hidden in the cloud of noise that lingers over all this discourse is a deafening silence from the one person whose opinion may matter more than anyone else in this matter: Brown’s co-star for the last nine years, the other half of The J’s, Jayson Tatum.

Jayson Tatum has not said a single word

If you take a look at Tatum’s social media, he has not posted a single thing about Brown or any of the rumors that have been circulating. Now, to be fair to Tatum, he hasn’t tweeted anything since May 12, and his Instagram is mainly used for paid sponsorships (a smart piece of business on his end, might I add).

What is more damning is that Tatum has basically never come to the defense of his All-NBA running mate, despite Brown being a controversial figure in the league for quite some time. The closest thing you can find to Tatum tweeting about Brown came in January of 2022.

It isn’t every player’s job to take to social media every time one of their brethren is under scrutiny. Stephen Curry wouldn’t even have time to train if he had to fire off a tweet every time Draymond Green did something that made people mad, and no one is questioning whether those four-time champions get along.

But this tweet is interesting. Tatum is frustrated at Kendrick Perkins for taking a backdoor shot at him while complimenting Brown. This isn’t Brown’s fault, but you can see some of the same insecurity that is currently absorbing Brown percolating in Tatum.

It isn’t absurd to say that Tatum isn’t a little bit uncomfortable in his own skin. From copying iconic outfits to sharing cringeworthy screenshots to awkwardly recreating iconic moments in NBA history, Tatum has developed a reputation as something of a cornball. Personally, I’m fond of the way his inner child manifests itself in his grand idolizations, but even I can recognize that his behavior is a little strange.

Maybe Tatum wants Brown to be traded

While it comes out in different ways, Tatum and Brown are cut from the same cloth. They care a little more than the average NBA player about how they are perceived by the public. That is why I wouldn’t be surprised if we find out one day that Tatum was secretly bitter that Brown got the Finals MVP over him, despite Tatum being the clear top dog throughout this era of Celtics’ basketball.

Or if Tatum was upset that he was being blamed for working his butt off to return from a torn Achilles in record time, somehow derailing Brown’s career year and causing the Celtics to fizzle out prematurely in the postseason.

All while the same analytics that Brown is chastising make Tatum’s short run in 2025-26 look triumphant. In a limited sample, the Celtics were 2.8 points per 100 possessions better with Tatum on the floor than when he was on the bench (per Cleaning the Glass). Overall, the Celtics outscored opponents by 10.8 points per 100 when Tatum was on the floor. For all he did well this year, the Celtics were 5.6 points per 100 worse with Brown on the floor, and only tallied a point differential of +6.4 per 100 in his minutes.

Tatum’s silence does not indicate a rift between him and Brown. They’ve shared some of the highest moments of their respective careers together, including a championship in 2024. But nothing good lasts forever. The media has pitted these two stars against each other for years. When one succeeds, the other is criticized for coming up short. And when one fails, the other is made to be the innocent martyr.

Tatum and Brown have been around long enough to know that what is happening is no fault of the other. However, even the wisest warriors are fallible. Time can take its toll on even the closest of friends. Maybe a divorce is the only option, and maybe Tatum’s silence is a sign that he’s thrown in the towel.