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The Boston Celtics came within two games of winning the NBA Championship last season, before falling to the Golden State Warriors.
Throughout that fateful playoff series, multiple members of the Celtics roster were dealing with injury issues and struggled to play to their usual standards – with Jayson Tatum being the most notable name on that list.
Now, as we head into a new season, there are questions about Tatum’s ability to lead a championship team – with many claiming that his inconsistency will be the only thing that sees him miss out on becoming an MVP candidate in the near future.
NBC Sports Boston’s Chris Forsberg believes that finding a consistent level of performance is the final step Tatum needs to take, after which, he will be considered among the NBA’s most elite players – but failure to do so would see him become a secondary star in the NBA – and those rarely win championships without additional help.
“If you could pick February to the middle of May Tatum, that’s an MVP candidate. The next step for him is all about consistency, and having it in the finals if you’re a little worn down, and having it at the start of the season without having to ease your way in. But, I do think it’s a reflection on how we value Giannis and Luka, and how good those players are. I think Tatum has moved himself into the (MVP) conversation, but there’s another of consistency, another level of carrying your team when it matters that people need to see before putting him into that conversation,” Forsberg said.
Granted, Tatum didn’t play at his optimum level against the Warriors, but even then, he still ended the series with averages of 21.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, and seven assists per game on 45.5% shooting from deep and 36.7% shooting from the field.
Tatum Played With a Broken Wrist
For all the rhetoric surrounding Tatum’s under-performance in the NBA finals, it’s worth remembering that the St. Louis native has since revealed that he played the entire post-season with a non-displaced fracture in his wrist.
“I had a non-displaced fracture in my wrist…a non-displaced chip, so I had chipped my bone but it didn’t leave the surface…I guess I played with somewhat of a fracture for like, two months. And then in the playoffs, there was a play against Milwaukee in Game 3. I dunked it, and Giannis chased me down. He fouled me, and I fell into the crowd. That was the most painful it’s been since that day that hurt it. I ended up getting a cortisone shot in my wrist that night,” Tatum said.
Still, the narrative will remain that when the lights shone brightest, Tatum failed to rise to the occasion, and now, we will have to wait and see whether the All-NBA forward will use that narrative as fuel for the upcoming season.
LeBron James Defends Tatum’s Performance
Speaking on a July 18 episode of his Uninterrupted podcast, Los Angeles Lakers superstar, LeBron James, spoke out in defense of Tatum’s performances in the NBA finals, noting that a lot of stars falter in their first trip to the finals, including himself.
“Jayson Tatum is a beast. He didn’t play to his standards, but to the regular s*** standards that everybody, only people that’s comfortable. Like, man, he had a hell of a season, and that guy’s not even 25 yet. He’ll be back. He got nothing to hang his hat on. He played against the same team of my first finals. I played against the Spurs. It’s the same s***. The same s***.” And they took advantage of me not knowing much,” LeBron said.
The Eastern Conference has gotten deeper this summer, and there’s no guarantee Boston will make it back to the finals again this year – but if they do, all eyes will be on Tatum, with the expectation that he plays at an elite level and proves he can be the best player on a championship team.
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