Boston Celtics‘ Jayson Tatum is in the MVP conversation this year. The player is averaging 26.9 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 4.8 assists with 47.5 FG% this season. The Celtics are the 1st seed in the Eastern Conference and currently hold the best record in the league.
Tatum is behind four players on the MVP ladder. Golden State Warriors‘ Draymond Green came to Tatum’s defense on a recent episode of ‘The Draymond Green Show’. Green was upset about Tatum’s ranking despite Celtic’s amazing record. He explained what the Celtics forward needs to do to have a better rank on the MVP ladder.
According to Green, Tatum losing the NBA finals is the reason for his exclusion from the MVP conversation:
JT [Tatum] will not be taken serious for the MVP until he win a championship. And It just hasn’t been that way for everybody else. It was not that way for Joker [Jokic], Giannis and Joel. I don’t know how it ended up for JT. But God, that’s brutal.
Draymond Green remarked
Draymond Green:
“Jayson Tatum will not be taken seriously for MVP until he wins a championship… It hasn’t been that way for Jokic, Giannis and Joel. I don’t know how the goalposts moved on you like that but they should acknowledge it.”
(via @TheVolumeSports, h/t @ClutchPoints) pic.twitter.com/2ojicUyAtf
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) February 26, 2024
Green was stressing on the seven-and-a-half game difference between the first-seed Celtics and second-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers. He also talked about the rest of the Celtics team’s contribution to the wins:
And by the way yes, the Boston Celtics is a good team but the Denver Nuggets is great, they have a really good team.
Draymond Green said about the Celtics
Stephen A. Smith and Shannon Sharpe debate on Jayson Tatum’s MVP ranking
On ESPN’s First Take, analysts Stephen A. Smith and Shannon Sharpe had contradictory opinions regarding the eligibility of Jayson Tatum for the MVP award. This week, Tatum was moved to the fifth rank in the MVP ladder. Tatum suspects that the reason behind this is the Celtic’s loss in the 2022 finals.
Stephen A. Smith and Shannon Sharpe shared their opinions on Jayson Tatum’s MVP ranking (Images via ESPN/AP Photo)Smith wanted Tatum to be moved forward than number five. Here is what he had to say:
He [Tatum] should be the leading candidate for MVP right now. He is the best player on the best team.
Stephen A. Smith said
Smith also mentioned Tatum’s average of 27 points and his contribution on both sides of the game. Sharpe on the other hand, believes that the championship loss has nothing to do with Tatum’s MVP ranking. Sharpe also disagreed with Smith’s ‘best player on the best team’ point.
