Dec 19, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) drives to the basket against Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball (2) and forward Matas Buzelis (14) in the first quarter at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images / David Butler II-Imagn Images
The Boston Celtics have had to deal with a lot of different narratives from the media regarding Jayson Tatum over the last couple of years, with a lot of them being negative. This is despite the fact that Tatum was a first-team All-NBA performer a year ago when the Celtics won their 18th NBA championship.
There was a lot of talk about whether or not Jaylen Brown was actually the best player on the team. Meanwhile, Brown wasn’t selected to play for Team USA during the 2024 Paris Olympics while Tatum was, even though he didn’t consistently play big minutes. Both of them have tried to downplay that the outside noise gets to them in any meaningful way.
Tatum just continues to play some great basketball. Most recently, he put up a 43-point triple-double against the Chicago Bulls. His coach, Joe Mazzulla, thinks that Tatum does not get enough credit from the rest of the league for being as good as he is on both sides of the court.
This is what Mazzulla had to say about Tatum, per Noa Dalzell of SB Nation. “Because he’s been doing great things for such a long time, I still think he gets taken for granted… because he’s done it for a long time, and because it comes relatively easy for him, and we’re in Boston, so that’s the expectation.”
Joe Mazzulla on Jayson Tatum:
“Because he’s been doing great things for such a long time, I still think he gets taken for granted… because he’s done it for a long time, and because it comes relatively easy for him, and we’re in Boston, so that’s the expectation.” pic.twitter.com/YApZdeO9jb
— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzell) December 22, 2024
It’s pretty clear that Mazzulla is tired of those around the league not giving Tatum the credit that he deserves. He’s clearly a top-five player in the league in Mazzulla’s eyes, and he wants his player to get the proper hype for that. For some reason, Tatum isn’t discussed as one of the best players in the league.
Pretty soon, Tatum is going to inevitably thrust himself into the MVP discussion if he keeps playing at the level that he is. While he’s not the favorite to win the award right now, he certainly is good enough to warrant another first-team All-NBA selection when the season is over.
The Celtics are one of the best teams in the entire NBA. They are only concerned with doing what is necessary to win an NBA title for the second season in a row. It seems like the only thing that can de-rail this team from succeeding in that goal is getting hit with a bunch of injuries.
Staying healthy is going to be the top priority for the rest of the season.
More Celtics: Trade Proposal Sees Celtics Make Deal With East Rival For More Shooting
