Jayson Tatum deserves more respect
Jayson Tatum has become a complete player. He's operating at a new level and controlling the game's flow. Rather than hijacking the offense and acting like a superstar, he's facilitating for his teammates, allowing others to shine. He's fighting for rebounds on every possession and providing timely help defense.
Unfortunately for Tatum, his shooting slump is the only aspect of his game he's being judged on. The media and the wider NBA fanbase are looking at his point production and making unfair conclusions about his impact. On Wednesday's edition of FanDuel TV's "Run It Back," Chandler Parsons said that Tatum wouldn't be receiving his current criticism if his name was Luka Doncic or Nikola Jokic.
"If this were Luka, if this were Jokic, we would be praising him for how he’s getting his teammates involved, how he’s letting the game come to him," Parsons said. "How their offense is more balanced. They're winning. We’re still finding a way to nitpick Jayson Tatum, even though they're dominating this postseason. They're cakewalking into the Finals...The guy is averaging 17/10/8...leave him alone!”
Tatum is still capable of scoring 50 points in a game and 30 points on a nightly basis. However, the Boston Celtics don't need that version of Tatum. They are so prolific because everybody is sacrificing for the team. For Tatum, that means taking fewer shots and operating as a metronome for the offense.
It's also fair to assume that part of Tatum's shooting struggles is a lack of rhythm. Yes, he's still getting a fair amount of shots, but they're not coming in the same way as they have in previous years. Instead, he's accepting double teams to make reads rather than looking to split the defense and get his own shot.
Tatum is the Celtics' best player. The Celtics are the best team in the NBA by record and Net Rating. He deserves his share of the credit. Instead, he will continue to be criticized until the Celtics win a championship and the narratives surrounding him are disproven.
It's a harsh reality but one Tatum has likely become accustomed to.
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