Jayson Tatum was having a playoff-series high performance with 42 points before going down with a season-ending injury in Game 4 of their second-round series with the Knicks. The Celtics somehow lost that game and went down 3-1 in the series heading into Boston. However, in Game 5, they managed to beat the Knicks at home 127-102 and force a Game 6 in Madison Square Garden.
After this game, Emmanuel Acho went on his show to express his opinions about Jayson Tatum’s absence. He essentially implied that the Celtics play better when Tatum is not on the floor. This did not sit well with Kevin Durant as he ripped into the ex-NFL veteran on social media.
He wrote, “Hot take artist have ruined the sport. Football guys, no disrespect but yall boys need to stay in ya lanes, u don’t know what it’s like it’s between these lines man, give it a break. Dudes who quit football early to pursue media talkin mental toughness, cut it out.”
What Did Emmanuel Acho Say That Triggered Kevin Durant?
After the Celtics beat the Knicks in Game 5 of the series, Emmanuel Acho went on his show and posted a clip of his take on social media, where he went as far as to say Tatum’s mindset is not in sync with the rest of the team. He captioned the video: “The Celtics match up better against the Knicks without Jayson Tatum than they do with him. Give me two minutes to show you something you may have missed, and I’ll convince you exactly why.”
In the video, Acho says, “I want to go as far as to say, the Boston Celtics matchup better with the New York Knicks without Jayson Tatum than they do with Jayson Tatum. Not because of talent, not because of talent, exclusively because of mindset. I believe a team is a reflection of its leader. Jayson Tatum is a leader of the Boston Celtics. They are an incredible team, a talented team, but they are not as tough a team.”
He goes on to showcase an example of Jaylen Brown’s leadership and claims instances where Jayson Tatum would’ve chosen a route for personal gain instead of the team’s benefit. He hasn’t questioned Tatum’s talent, but his ability to sacrifice for the greater good of the team.
In my opinion, this was some unwanted and unnecessary criticism for a man struggling from injury. Acho made bold claims with his analysis of the Celtics without solid reasoning to back them up, which came across as baseless and unwarranted.
The Celtics have won a championship with Tatum and Brown at the helm. Such takes are not only targeted to cause internal conflict in the team but also against the spirit of basketball. Kobe Bryant took more shot attempts than anyone on his team. Did that make him a bad leader? I agree with Durant, NFL players should not be extremely critical in their analysis of a sport they do not have expertise in.
