Celtics’ Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum ‘one of the best duos in the league,’ per OKC Thunder’s Josh Giddey

Giddey sees a bit of Brown and Tatum in his and fellow wing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s future development.

As the Boston Celtics cement themselves among the league’s perennial contenders with a revamped roster that builds on the squad that carried the team to within two wins of an NBA-record 18th title, the Celtics find themselves increasingly used as a point of reference for teams on the come-up trying to get themselves to a similar position.

And such is the case for the Oklahoma City Thunder, players for whom see some of the Celtics’ path to competing at the league’s highest levels as a journey they may soon take as well. Flush with playmaking wings of which he himself is one, the Thunder’s Josh Giddey explained to our Cameron Tabatabaie how he and fellow wing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander might take a page from Boston’s book in the near-term future.

“In the same context of having me and Shai together as ball handlers, it’s never a natural fit,” explained the Australian wing.