Colin Cowherd has never been shy about criticizing Jayson Tatum. He’s called him forgettable, accused him of lacking the “aura” of a true superstar, and even nicknamed him “The Password” for being someone fans allegedly forget about. But in a surprising twist, Cowherd broke character on his podcast this week to give the Boston Celtics star his flowers—and not just for his numbers, but for his mentality.
“A lot of people think I’m too negative about the Celtics’ Jason Tatum, so let me break character for a second and say something nice. Okay, first, I need to take a detour. Trust me, I’ll get there. Every sport has had a glaring problem at some point.”
“The NFL? Concussions in the 60s, 70s, and 80s. They turned a blind eye until they couldn’t, then eventually wrote a billion-dollar check and slapped some rules on it.”
“Baseball? Always walking a tightrope of trying to be part historical museum and part modern amusement park, and then steroids showed up. At first, they turned a blind eye, then home runs doubled and head sizes tripled. So baseball cleaned up its act.”
“The NBA has their version right now: load management. Star players treating the regular season like a suggestion, not a requirement. It’s clearly hurting the league. Ratings everywhere—Car World Series up, up, up. NBA sliding backward for a decade.”
“The league tried to fix it with a 65-game minimum for awards, but it’s a band-aid on a broken leg. But you know where load management isn’t a problem? Boston. Yep, that’s because in an NBA locker room, the culture is set by the best player. It’s a game of follow the leader.”
“If your star shows up every night, the rest of the team falls in line. Forget load management, I want lead management—and Jason Tatum, he’s that guy. I’ve been to three or four Celtics games. He’s always the first guy on the floor in warmups. Locked in, both ends. He’s not coasting, not pacing himself.”
“He plays—and plays hard—every single night. That’s a big deal. No, I don’t think he’s quite the face of the league yet, but he might be the heartbeat. The Celtics’ best player is also their hardest worker.”
“He’s the play-every-night poster child in a league where rest is the new three-pointer. If the NBA can’t force change, this is what will: guys like Tatum, SGA, Ant Edwards—they treat playing as the default setting, not a chore.”
“That influence is far more important than any league mandate. Now, at this point, I would usually say something snarky and get a good joke in, but I’m not gonna do that. Jason Tatum—great player, great attitude.”
Cowherd’s detour into praise came within a broader critique of the NBA’s load management problem. While much of the league’s top talent often treats the regular season as optional, Tatum’s commitment to suiting up every night stands out. It’s hard to argue.
In his eight-year career, Tatum has been a model of consistency and durability. He played 80 games as a rookie and has never dipped below 64 in any full season. This year, despite suffering what initially appeared to be a serious ankle injury, he missed only one game and returned without skipping a beat.
Through 74 games, Tatum has appeared in 67 and continues to be the steady engine driving the Celtics, who boast a 55-19 record—the second-best in the East.
On the court, Tatum has once again delivered MVP-level production, averaging 27.2 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 6.0 assists while shooting 45.5% from the field and 35.1% from deep. He’s on pace to earn his fourth straight All-NBA First Team selection, and if the Celtics can recapture their 2024 title form, he might finally silence the last of his doubters—including Cowherd.
With players like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Anthony Edwards also building reputations for durability and nightly excellence, Tatum’s approach is part of a larger shift.
But in Cowherd’s eyes, Tatum is leading that charge—not with flashy Instagram posts or viral highlights, but by simply showing up, competing hard, and setting the standard.
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