​Jayson Tatum knows it feels weird not to be playing with Jaylen Brown anymore originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.For his entire career in the NBA, Jayson Tatum has played alongside Jaylen Brown. They are only one year apart, as Tatum was drafted in 2017 while Brown was drafted the year before.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThey have been a duo for a long time, but now, they are rivals. Tatum is still with the Boston Celtics, while Jaylen Brown will be playing for the Philadelphia 76ers, a bitter rival that just eliminated them in the 2026 Playoffs.For a long time, people tried to create some discord between Tatum and Brown. However, they persevered and continued to be two of the best players in the league. They were among the most talented duos, which is why they reached two NBA Finals together.They won the second one in 2024, with Brown winning Finals MVP. While some players might have had problems with that, Tatum did not have any issue with his longtime teammate winning the award.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementMORE: How the Celtics had different perspectives on both Jaylen Brown and Jayson TatumThat also sparked the big contract extensions they had to sign, which would eventually be the reason why they parted ways. The Celtics now want more flexibility, and that was the primary reasoning behind the trade.”If I’m being transparent, it’s weird. I’ve been on the Celtics for 9 years, and he was my teammate every single one of those. You understand that throughout the course of a career that the NBA is a business,” Tatum said about the Brown trade at the 2026 ESPY Awards.”There’s still a human element to it that you feel those emotions, the city feels those emotions, but there’s also a side of it like we have to welcome our new teammates with open arms.”AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementTatum is ready to push forward without Brown. Now that he is the sole star, he has more responsibilities, now. It seems he is prepared for the pressure, but it will be a jarring sight when he plays without Brown as his running mate.Derrick White’s place on the Boston Celtics is still going strong despite trade rumorsThe Celtics will need a significant package if they want to trade for Trey Murphy IIIAdam Silver defends the CBA after the Jaylen Brown trade and the Victor Wembanyama extensionThe Jaylen Brown trade is making more sense after the Celtics revealed their reasoningJoe Mazzulla makes his first statement about the Jaylen Brown trade