At the age of 26, Jayson Tatum has established himself as one of the top scorers in the league. Tatum is having a blast of a season, leading the Boston Celtics to the best record in the league. With Jaylen Brown on his side, the duo has managed to make a lot of noise this season. In the last six seasons, the Celtics have made four Conference Finals appearances and have made the Finals once.
In all the postseasons, Tatum and Brown have been the leaders and the best performers. The Celtics have finally found their winning formula, as they look to finally get a title back home. Tatum, on the other hand, has a lot of expectations on his shoulders. Being under the spotlight, fans have accused JT of not having a ring, despite a winning record. Recently, in the first episode of LeBron James‘ podcast, the King defended this side on Tatum’s resume.
He’s 25 years old, and I believe he has been to the conference finals four times and to the NBA finals once. He’s 25. I didn’t win my first one until I was 28. I think Joker won his first one at 27. I think MJ was 28 as well. I think we have a lot of expectations on JT, but he’s experienced a lot of winning in his career so far. And obviously, everyone wants to see him get over the hump, but four conference finals and a finals appearance before the age of 26 is elite.
James via ‘Mind The Game’ Podcast
James had valid points on Tatum getting criticized excessively even after delivering what his predecessors failed to do by his current age. His growth has been amazing so far, as the youngster is always improving.
Making a Finals run back in 2022, Tatum and the company almost pulled off a title run. Last year, the Celtics became the first team to make a 0-3 comeback in the series against the Miami Heat, though couldn’t make the Finals. This year, Boston has all the pieces in place and has the highest of hopes to win their first title in 16 years.
Jayson Tatum and the company have one team standing in their way
Looking at how Boston has managed to maintain a winning record, the Celtics shouldn’t face a problem in the East. However, if they do make the Finals, the Celtics might have to look out for teams like the Nuggets or the Clippers. The defending champs, the Denver Nuggets, will look to make a back-to-back run, though it will be interesting to see both teams face off in the Finals.
Jayson Tatum (Image via Boston Celtics/X)So far into the season, Tatum has put up 27.1 points, 4.9 assists, and 8.3 rebounds per game. This year, JT has been more consistent on the offensive end, in a way, complementing his teammates’ game. These small changes translate to major differences, as seen by his performance this year.
LeBron speaks highly of Jayson Tatum in this clip
Also says Celtics got “Porzingis and Jrue for a bag of Lays potato chips”😭😭 pic.twitter.com/t7D07udN9r
— ²³𝙻𝚎𝙱𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚜🏀☄️🌎💞 (@BronGotGame) March 19, 2024
While playing against teams from the West, the Celtics will have to emphasize the duo’s abilities, especially Brown, to take the load off of Tatum. It will be interesting to see how HC Joe Mazzulla decides to play the duo in the coming postseason.
Jayson Tatum is still young and has a lot to prove in the league. His achievements so far do complement his game, but a championship at an early age, while being able to lead the whole squad, will be an accomplishment very few players have ever achieved in the history of the Association.
