The Boston Celtics will be parading a new ‘Big Three’ this coming season, and expectations are already through the roof for one of NBA’s newest super teams. But for Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown, the Celtics are more than just the star power of Kyrie Irving, Gordon Hayward, and Al Holford. The Sixers mentor believes Boston’s crop of youngsters is also oozing with talent, especially Jayson Tatum whom he compared to perennial All-Star Carmelo Anthony.

Tatum gets Melo comparison

The former Duke Blue Devils standout has been turning heads the past few months, putting up great numbers in the Summer League and preseason games.

Tatum was initially projected to end up with the Sixers at No.3, but he eventually wound up with the Celtics after the Markelle Fultz trade changed the order of the 2017 NBA Draft.

Despite not getting Tatum, Brown has high remarks for the young wing player. “He had sort of a different type of NBA game where a lot of his workout was at that sort of Carmelo [Anthony] isolation, the 18-foot spot where he can turn and face and have a series of moves that we felt like actually could translate to the NBA,” Brown said in an interview with Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe.

The Melo comparison isn’t new to Tatum. Prior to the draft, many scouts raveled on the rookie’s well-polished offensive game. He has great shooting mechanics and possesses the ability to score in various ways – a skill-set Anthony showcased right away in his rookie year.

Is Marcus Smart not getting an extension?

The Celtics have yet to engage in any kind of dialogue with Marcus Smart’s camp with roughly a week left before the deadline. According to Shams Charania of the Vertical at Yahoo Sports, Smart has not heard anything from Celtics general manager Danny Ainge despite his strong desire to stay in Boston long-term.

Boston has until October 16 to sign Smart to a rookie scale contract extension. If the Celtics decide to forego negotiations, the former No.6 overall pick is on track to become a restricted free-agent next summer. At this moment, a contract extension talk between the Celtics and Smart’s representatives is not imminent, but deadline often compelled teams to take action.

Smart averaged career-high 10.6 PPG and 4.6 APG in 2016-17 NB season but shot just 36 percent from the floor and 28 percent from three-point line. After losing 20 pounds over the summer, the former Oklahoma State standout is set for a bigger role this coming season, filling the void left by playmaker Avery Bradley and wing stopper Jae Crowder.