Paul Pierce thinks there is a reason Jayson Tatum is under-appreciated by NBA fans, and it has nothing to do with his talent.
Recently, there has been a lot of talk about Jayson Tatum potentially becoming the face of the NBA. Tatum, who turns 27 this year, has everything it takes to be a superstar in the league.
Tatum himself questioned why Anthony Edwards is considered over him for the role. Even though Edwards said multiple times he doesn’t want the responsibility that comes with it, the NBA still wants Ant.
Toronto Raptors head coach believes this might be due to the unwarranted hate Jayson Tatum receives. Despite being an uncontroversial figure off the court, Tatum isn’t well liked in NBA fan circles.
Even Nikola Jokic endorsed him to the face of the NBA. But Tatum won’t ever get that respect from NBA fans, and Paul Pierce is the one player who can relate.
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Speaking on ‘KG Certified’, Paul Pierce noted that Jayson Tatum receives the fan hate he does because he plays for the most hated organization in the NBA – the Boston Celtics.
Pierce pointed to the legendary rivalry between Magic Johnson and Larry Bird as an example. No matter how good Bird was, Magic was always the face of the NBA.
“Because – he plays for Boston. It’s just what it is. Every player through Boston, even Larry Bird, was underappreciated. You know what I’m saying?”
“Because, at one point, he was the best player in the league, but it was always Magic [Johnson]…Boston is the most hated franchise, hated team in all of sports. In all of basketball for sure.”
The Celtics are the most successful NBA team ever, winning 18 championships throughout their history. However, that might not be the reason for Tatum being underappreciated.
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One of the biggest complaints surrounding Jayson Tatum has always been his inability to take his game to a higher level.
Tatum is an excellent regular season player. This season, he is putting All-NBA numbers with 26.8 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 5.8 assists.
But the mark of an elite player is taking your game to another level during the playoffs. This is something Jayson Tatum just hasn’t done.
Even in last year’s run to the NBA Finals, Tatum was a shell of himself. He shot poorly, and was lackadaisical on defense.
This is the main reason people don’t highly rate Tatum. He is an incredible player in the regular season, but they almost never translate consistency in the playoffs.
