Getty Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
Jayson Tatum has been the Boston Celtics‘ brightest star this season, earning himself MVP chatter while also winning the All-Star game MVP award.
However, not everyone has been impressed with Tatum this season, as some believe he is more interested in personal accolades than team success. In fact, on February 24, long-time Celtics beat writer, Dan Shaughnessy, released an article for the Boston Globe that levied some strong criticism at the St. Louis native.
It’s time for Jayson Tatum to focus on the prize that really matters, and other thoughts t.co/781rnP2v4V via @BostonGlobe
“He hasn’t won a championship and there are times when he seems too much the embodiment of today’s American-born, AAU-groomed, egomaniacal NBA superstar. He missed a game to go home to St. Louis for his son’s birthday party in December. Just before the All-Star break, he missed an important game in Milwaukee with a “non-COVID illness” (the Celtics subs lost in overtime), then came back to play the next night at home against the lowly Pistons,” Shaughnessy wrote.
Tatum has participated in 56 games this season and has been playing with a non-displaced fracture in his wrist for almost a year now, so it’s only reasonable to expect him to miss the occasional game.
Celtics Fans React to Shaughnessy’s Criticism
Shortly after Shaughnessy’s article was released, Celtics fans took to Twitter to share their disbelief that their star player was receiving so much criticism, especially from their own media.
@Dan_Shaughnessy @BostonGlobe You clearly don’t watch Tatum’a post game interviews. At 24 yo, he is already one of the most cerebral players in the NBA. Yes, individual awards are important to him, but not as important as winning a championship.
You might want to listen to his postgame interviews, Dan.
“This is one of those articles that shows that you clearly don’t follow the Celtics closely. My god i can’t express how untrue this article is,” Twitter user CelticPurgatory replied.
“In memphis they dance walking out to the court with a boom box and in LA kawhi and george rest a half a season each. Watch the nba before you make baseless claims,” Gesolfelstein replied.
Tatum has positioned himself to be considered among the best players in the NBA this season, helping the Celtics cause with averages of 30.6 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game while shooting 46.2% from the field and 35.5% from deep.
Nick Wright Warns Celtics Over Championship Hopes
While some in the Boston media may have their questions about Tatum’s ability to lead the Celtics to a championship, the fact is, Boston is among the front runners to make it to the NBA Finals and potentially win the whole thing.
However, according to Fox Sports analyst Nick Wright, who was speaking on a February 21 episode of ‘First Things First,’ the Celtics should be weary of having to face the Philadelphia 76ers in a seven-game series.
“As good as Boston is, I don’t think they’ll have an answer for is Joel Embiid. He’s going to break through. Embiid, Dominique Wilkins & Bernard King are the best players ever to not make a conference finals.”
— @getnickwright on why he’s sticking with the 76ers to win the East:
“As good as Boston is, the one thing I think Boston would not have an answer for is Joel Embiid down on the block. And, here’s the one other part of it is an eventuality belief, rather than ‘Philly’s definitely the best team’ belief. At some point, Joel Embiid is going to break through,” Wright said.
Luckily, we won’t have to wait long to get a preview of a potential showdown between Boston and Philadelphia, as the two teams are set to face off in their third game of the season on Saturday, February 25.