Hall of Famer Rick Barry explains why Boston’s Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum suffer from “Westbrook Syndrome”

In the latest episode of “Inside the Celtics” with Eric Jay Santos, Basketball Hall of Famer Rick Barry talked long and hard about comparisons between star players back in his day, and modern day athletes in the NBA. The conversation began noting the differences between legends Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, and eventually talked about the situation with Boston duo Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. 

According to the 79-year-old, both superstars share what he calls the Russell Westbrook syndrome, and explained in detail both pros and cons of being compared with the Clippers guard.

“Both (Jaylen) Brown and (Jayson) Tatum, who are two talented players, suffer from what I call (Russell) Westbrook syndrome,” he started. “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.”

Check out some of Boston dynamic duo’s best plays ever since they paired up together:

Then the moment came to discuss Joe Mazzulla’s performance in his rookie year as head coach, assuring that he isn’t to blame for not making it to the NBA Finals.

“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,” Barry claimed. “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).”

The Hall of Famer then changed his perception when they faced the NBA finalists Miami Heat, admitting the Massachussetts club was run over by the Florida side.

“To play so poorly against (the) Miami (Heat), I was shocked,” he expressed. “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.”

According to sources, many teams are interested in trading for Boston’s Payton Pritchard

It sure seems like Payton Pritchard’s days with the Boston Celtics are numbered, as sources suggest that many franchises in the NBA will be looking to trade for him this summer.

“He works hard and he knows how to play the game,” an NBA general manager told reporter Steve Bulpett from Heavy.com. “There’s definitely interest in him around the league, for sure.”

The reserve guard reportedly told the Celtics front office that he’d like to leave Massachussetts this offseason, as he didn’t get enough play time this past campaign.

“I like him. I definitely think he can help a team,” the source told Bulpett. “But he needs to be in a perfect situation to get a 25-minute-a-game role. I’m not sure where that is.”