Do the Boston Celtics have two top-five talents in the East?

In Jayson Tatum's absence, Jaylen Brown has been performing at an All-NBA level. Brown has seamlessly stepped into a leading offensive role, with him operating as the de facto playfinisher. The explosive forward has been torching opposing teams in the mid-range, and has seemed almost unstoppable when getting downhill to pressure the rim, both in transition and via halfcourt offense.

Off the court, Brown is shouldering a significant leadership role. He's guiding his younger teammates, holding them accountable and being a voice of reason when speaking with the media. The circumstances may be far from ideal; however, Brown has willingly shouldered his role with poise and continues to impress both on and off the court.

Interestingly, Sherrod Blakely, Kwani Lunis and Gary Washburn appear to have seen into the future, because three months ago, before the season even began, the trio debated whether Brown was a top-five talent in the Eastern Conference. And, given Brown's early-season showings, it would be hard to argue against that assertion.

If you want to hear the full debate, you can do so by clicking on the embedded podcast video above.

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This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Do the Celtics have two top-five talents in the East?