Skip Bayless Doubles Down on Jaylen Brown Over Jayson Tatum. Here’s His Argument.

Skip Bayless has never been shy about taking the hot take and running with it. But his latest stance on the Boston Celtics might actually be his most stubborn one yet.

On a recent episode of Gil’s Arena, Bayless went all in on Jaylen Brown being the better player between the Celtics’ two stars. Not just close. Not just a matter of fit. He said flat out that he’d take Brown over Jayson Tatum any day of the week.

“If you do use the eye test or the gut test on Jaylen Brown, I’ve said this from the start, I’ve said from day one, he’s better than Jayson Tatum. That’s how I feel. I’ll take him over Jayson Tatum, any day or night,” Bayless said.

His reasoning? Competitive fire. Bayless talked about wanting Brown on his side in a literal trench warfare situation, which is a very Skip Bayless thing to say. He also pointed to how Tatum’s return from a ruptured Achilles this past season may have messed with Boston’s chemistry — an assertion that Celtics fans would probably argue with until they’re blue in the face.

It’s worth remembering the context around Brown right now. The Celtics dangled him in trade talks for Giannis Antetokounmpo, and that whole saga played out very publicly. Since then, Brown has become one of the most polarizing figures in the league. You’ll hear people call him everything from a fringe top-10 player to a guy who fits best as a third option on a contender. There’s not a ton of middle ground.

Boston pivoted to shopping Brown to other teams after the Giannis thing fell through. But there’s a loud contingent that thinks the Celtics should just keep both Jays together. They’ve been teammates since 2017, and while Brown’s name has been in trade rumors for years, the front office might be better off smoothing things over rather than blowing up a core that’s already been to the Finals.

Brown averaged 29 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists last season and made All-NBA Second Team. Those numbers don’t scream “trade him.” But the Celtics have to be careful here. If you move Brown, you’re betting everything on Tatum being healthy and the surrounding pieces being good enough. That’s a gamble.

Bayless’s take isn’t the mainstream one. Most people still see Tatum as the guy. But the fact that this argument even exists — and that a prominent voice like Bayless is willing to die on that hill — says something about how good Brown actually is.

Either way, Boston has a decision to make this summer. And whatever they choose, someone’s going to be really happy and someone else is going to spend the next five years reminding them they were wrong.