Gilbert Arenas recently shared his thoughts on how Jayson Tatum would become the target of media scrutiny following LeBron James‘ retirement. While discussing the matter of players facing media scrutiny on ‘Gil’s Arena,’ the former NBA player said:
“At this moment in time, there is nobody the NBA media actually hates or wants to go against for ratings. They’re not going to go against Wemby. They’re not going against Steph. They’re not going against these young guys.”
Arenas and the crew then came to an agreement that the player who was most likely to draw the ire of the media was Jayson Tatum.
“When Bron’s gone and they done whooping his a** and all that,” he added. “You [Tatum] next.”
“When LeBron is gone and [the media] is done whipping his a**, [Tatum] is next.”
Gil and the crew agree that Jayson Tatum will be the next most hated NBA player. pic.twitter.com/YhYLyS2sX8
— Gil’s Arena (@GilsArenaShow) April 14, 2025
Arenas added that the media will effectively hate or criticize anyone who is labelled or dubbed as “the next Michael Jordan”. While this claim might be considered absurd in some circles, there is some degree of merit to it.
LeBron James draws a lot of attention from the media, who seem to have a keen eye on every move he makes. The forward has been subject to immense criticism for virtually every comment and action dating all the back to his rookie season. In this context, Jayson Tatum finds himself in a very odd situation.
Tatum has been the franchise cornerstone for a large part of his career. The Celtics forward is effectively the best player on the team.
However, his performance through last season’s playoffs and NBA Finals damaged his reputation to some extent. This also resulted in Jaylen Brown stepping up to the plate and earning the Finals MVP instead.
The disrespect Tatum faces has been acknowledged by many. For his eight-year career, the forward has recorded an average of 23.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game. However, his career averages aren’t a reflection of his current form.
The six-time All-Star put up an average of 26.8 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 6.0 assists this season. His presence on the floor also impacted winning as the Celtics racked up a 61-21 record to secure the second-seed in the East.
The reigning champs are primed to make another deep playoff run this season. While a lot of things are going in their favor, the Celtics will look to their superstar to be a more significant contributor this time around. His average of 19.7 points per game from last season’s playoffs is not befitting a player of his caliber.
Tatum believes that he’s qualified to be the next face of the NBA. This comes at a time when many are reluctant to do the same. Whether the forward can back this up will only be seen in the postseason as Boston await their opponent for the first round.
