Draymond Green believes Jayson Tatum doesn’t get the respect he deserves when it comes to the MVP conversation. During the NBA All-Star Game ALTCAST, Green stated the Boston Celtics star has almost been punished for how much success the team had earlier in his career.
“They’re talking MVP discussions, and I don’t think JT will win his first MVP until he wins his first championship,” Green said. “He’s almost being punished for having so much success as a team early in his career. I think he went to the Conference Finals his first five years or something like that.”
Tatum did get to the Eastern Conference Finals in three of his first five seasons in the NBA after the Celtics selected him with the third pick of the 2017 Draft. Green thinks the five-time All-Star has had multiple MVP-caliber seasons in his time in the league but hasn’t been rewarded for them.
“Now it’s almost like you get on this clock that no one talks about, but you’re on this clock,” Green continued. “He’s lost in the Finals, he’s lost in the Eastern Conference Finals, so it’s like they don’t respect him quite like they should. I think it’s unfair because he’s been having MVP-type years.”
Draymond Green talking about Jayson Tatum having the most unfair expectations pic.twitter.com/sdxUWclcqA
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I agree with Green to an extent, but I don’t think Tatum deserved to win MVP in any of the last few seasons. The 25-year-old has had some very good campaigns, but the problem is Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic, and Joel Embiid just had far better MVP cases than him when they won the award.
They have generally put up better numbers than Tatum, which obviously hurts the argument for him to win MVP. What could have helped his case was if the Celtics had by far the best record in the NBA or the East in any of those seasons.
Well, Boston finished at the top in the East in his rookie season but hasn’t accomplished it since then. So, if the numbers aren’t quite up there and the team isn’t just having an incredible season, it’s hard for me to say that Tatum was snubbed at any point. He finished fourth in the MVP race last season, which was just about right.
Now, things are a bit different in this 2023-24 season, as the Celtics have the best record in the NBA at 43-12. They look like a safe bet to finish at the top of the East, at the very least, which helps Tatum’s case for the award this year.
He is also putting up fine averages of 27.1 points, 8.6 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game. It is why Tatum does actually find himself in the conversation now, although he still isn’t regarded as the frontrunner. A strong finish to this season might change that, though.
Tatum Is Now Leading The MVP Race For Stephen A. Smith
There is one prominent figure in the media who already has the Celtics star as the frontrunner. Stephen A. Smith said Tatum is leading the MVP race.
“I got Jayson Tatum as the leading candidate for league MVP. Now that Joel Embiid is out. I’m sorry! I’m sorry! Does winning matter? Does being the best player on the best team matter? I’d say it does.”
“They’ve got the best record in basketball. They’ve got a six-game cushion in the Eastern Conference… He is the best player on the Boston Celtics. He is the best player on the best team in the NBA. And I’m saying, we ain’t gonna ignore this brother any longer.”
You certainly can’t ignore him when it comes to the MVP conversation anymore. As I said before, though, he and the Celtics need to have a dominant end to this season for him to win the award.
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