Rick Barry Says Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown Suffer From “Westbrook Syndrome”

Rick Barry discusses what tendency Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown share with Russell Westbrook.

Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

After detailing nearly joining the Celtics and sharing his perspective on who's better, Larry Bird or Magic Johnson, Basketball Hall of Famer Rick Barry compares Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown to another NBA superstar. Barry explained to Eric Jay Santos from Inside The Celtics why the dynamic duo has Russell Westbrook syndrome.

“Both (Jaylen) Brown and (Jayson) Tatum, who are two talented players, suffer from what I call (Russell) Westbrook syndrome. Westbrook is an incredible talent. I love how hard he plays, but he tries to force things. In the game of basketball, you should always be taking what the defense gives you… Both Jaylen and Jayson, they have a tendency to force things and end up getting a lot of turnovers.”

When asked about Joe Mazzulla, Barry expressed that the first-year head coach isn’t to blame for the Boston Celtics’ shortcomings.

“The last time I checked, Joe Mazzulla didn’t make a turnover. Did he? I checked the stat sheet… I didn’t see any missed shots on his part. I didn’t see any missed assignments defensively. The problem was that the team as a whole was very inconsistent. It surprised the hell out of me, especially after they did such a great job of coming back down 3-2 to (the) Philadelphia (76ers). To play so poorly against (the) Miami (Heat), I was shocked. Then it looked like they had the chance to do what has never been done before, to come back from a 3-0 deficit, and they laid an egg in Game 7. That was weird. They were what the (Golden State) Warriors were in the playoffs, Jekyll and Hyde. You didn’t know (which) team was going to show up. I don’t know how you blame that on Joe Mazzulla. A coach can only do so much.”

On the topic of inconsistency, Barry named Brown as an example.

“It’s the same thing with Jaylen (Brown). My big thing with basketball is you want to be consistent… They have a tendency to play really well and great, then in the next game, all of a sudden, they don’t shoot as well. I’d rather have a player that can get me 15 to 20 points a game than a (player) who gets me 30 (points) and then 8 (points) the next game.”

Further Reading

Rick Barry Discusses Nearly Joining Celtics, Shares His Perspective on Larry Bird vs. Magic Johnson

Scouting Report on Prospects Celtics Could Draft with No. 35 Pick: Jordan Walsh

Scouting Report on Prospects Celtics Could Draft with No. 35 Pick: Jaime Jaquez Jr.

Scouting Report on Prospects Celtics Could Draft with No. 35 Pick: Brandin Podziemski

Scouting Report on Prospects Celtics Could Draft with No. 35 Pick: Ben Sheppard

Celtics Add Another One of NBA's Top Assistants, Charles Lee, to Fortified Coaching Staff

The Latest Trade Buzz Surrounding Celtics' Guard Payton Pritchard

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