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TD GARDEN, BOSTON — On NBA Finals Media Day, Jayson Tatum was asked by the Globe’s Gary Washburn about being the most scrutinized player in the playoffs.
“You think so?” Tatum responded with a chuckle.
It’s not a bold claim. Tatum has been scrutinized all postseason, whether for his shooting struggles, for not smiling hard enough when his co-pilot Jaylen Brown won Eastern Conference Finals MVP (he was), or not seeming upset enough at the podium after the Celtics’ two playoff losses, despite being even-keeled has been a fundamental part of his personality.
“Did it get old?” Tatum asked of the increased negative coverage of him in recent days. “Yeah. But, you know, it’s the Finals. They wouldn’t talk about me if I wasn’t good, so… Try to take some positives out of it and change the channel.”
To this point, the criticism has been unsubstantiated
Jayson Tatum’s poor showing in the 2022 Finals seem to be at the center of conversations regarding his current showings.
In the Eastern Conference Finals, Jayson Tatum averaged 30.3 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 6.3 assists, while shooting 46.3% from the field. He was solid defensively – as he has been all year – and emerged as an elite playmaker, a phenomena that was punctuated by his jaw-dropping pass to Al Horford for a crunch-time three in the waning minutes of Game 3, a play that Jaylen Brown famously said should be hung “in the f****** Louvre.”
Jayson Tatum finished the regular season averaging 26.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game. His 47.1% from the field was his highest efficiency since his rookie season, and his 2.5 turnovers a night was his lowest since 2020 — a reflection of a heightened emphasis on taking care of the ball and passing out of doubles. And the accolades reflected his success; Tatum was named to the All-NBA First Team for the third consecutive year, and selected as an All Star for the fifth straight.
Still, the general feeling — among national media, among local media, on social media — has been that Tatum has been disappointing. Sometimes, that criticism is in the form of describing his teammates elite performances as “bailing him out” rather than the simply celebrating those players’ success. When Derrick White is elite, as he was in Round 1, the narrative is that Tatum is being carried by a super team. When it’s Jaylen Brown who is dominant, it’s a tired comparison of the two stars rather than an appreciation of each of their success.
But though the discourse and critiques continue to make headlines, his teammates and coaches continue to praise Tatum for his character, reliability, and approach.
“Your franchise player has to be a cornerstone of what you do,” Joe Mazzulla said. “It starts with his high character, the way he carries himself, who he is as a dad, who he is as a teammate. His availability. He’s there for every single practice, every single game. Loves being coached. Just carries himself the best way. There’s no one like him. He’s great.”
The veteran Jrue Holiday, a star in his own right, praised Tatum (and Brown) for how they’ve handled all the negative attention.
“The pressure that JB and JT have to take on is something different,” Holiday said yesterday. “I’ve told them this before, but it’s really impressive how they handle themselves, how they stay professional, how they still come out every game and do what they do. Yeah, I think it’s extremely impressive how they do that.”
Banner 18 is seven-ish games away
With Jayson Tatum at the helm, the Celtics had a historically dominant season — finishing 64-18, with a 37-4 home record, and the 6th highest all-time total point differential during the regular season.
There was never any drama, never any finger-pointing at the podium. Sure, they dropped a couple of games they shouldn’t have, but they almost always bounced back, never losing more than two games in a row.
The team never dealt with any controversies. No distracting off-court stories. And the beauty in their collective was that it never was just one player — and that started with Jayson Tatum.
He quietly put together a masterful season, but comfortably deferred to others rather than chasing his own accolades or point totals. At the same time, he has a track record of stepping up and being “the guy” when needed, whether that’s his 51-point Game 7 vs. Philadelphia in the semi-finals last year, or his 46-point Game 6 against the Bucks in an elimination game on the road in 2022. If a big night is required for him to get a Finals win, he will more likely than not step up to the challenge.
A couple of 40-point performances would have likely altered the narrative around Jayson Tatum’s “quiet” postseason, but high-scoring outputs were never the goal.
Banner 18 is.
And Jayson Tatum — and the 2024 Boston Celtics — are a few weeks away from the end prize. When it’s all said and done, none of the narratives will matter.
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