"He's their best player": Why doesn’t Jayson Tatum get more love from the NBA community?

Before Game 2 of the NBA Finals, Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd made it a point to communicate that he felt Jaylen Brown was the Boston Celtics’ best player. This comment sparked a lot of conversation about whether Brown truly is Boston’s best player, and why Jayson Tatum seems to get slighted from major praise on many occasions. We’ll take a closer look at why that might be. All statistics are sourced from Basketball Reference.

When asked about Kidd’s comments about the hierarchy of the Boston Celtics, Horford didn’t give his opinion about which teammate he thought was better. As HoopsHype documented, Horford simply called Kidd’s comments sneaky, in an attempt to divide their locker room.

However, Holiday somewhat took the bait and gave an assessment that seemed to back Kidd’s assertion. He told Sirius XM Radio, “I don’t think he’s lying. I think JB, he’s been aggressive in every single way. He’s been getting to the paint, getting to the free throw line, also making plays for other people. And then, he’s guarding Luka.”

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As captured on the NBA’s website, Tatum said, “We understand that people try to drive a wedge between us. We’ve been in this position for many years, of guys trying to divide us and say that one of us should be traded, or one is better than the other. So it’s not our first time at the rodeo.”

While neither Brown nor Tatum was expected to pay much credence to Kidd’s comments, Tatum’s by-the-book response might shed some light as to why he might be overlooked despite all of his accomplishments. He doesn’t go out of his way to stir the pot, or draw attention to himself, in the same way many other stars do.

In his seven seasons in the NBA, Tatum has been an All-Star five times, and has made the All-NBA team four times. By comparison, Brown has played eight seasons in the league. Brown has been an All-Star three times, and has made an All-NBA team once.

The Celtics had the best regular season of any team in the NBA, and it wasn’t particularly close in 2023-2024. Boston finished seven games better than the next closest team in the league, and 14 games better than the second place team in the East. With that said, Tatum wasn’t remotely close to being in the MVP discussion.

Despite being the most accomplished player on the best regular season team, Tatum wasn’t in the top 3 in NBA MVP voting. That distinction went to players like Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Luka Doncic.

Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green offered his assessment on why Tatum’s standards for respect seem to differ from others. NBC Sports Boston quoted Green as saying, “JT’s gotta go win the NBA championship in order to get taken seriously as an MVP. I don’t know how the goalposts moved on you like that, but they should acknowledge it.”

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NBC Sports Boston agreed with Green, stating that it seems like Tatum has been penalized for having almost as much success as humanly possible in his NBA career, without achieving the ultimate team goal.

Tatum and the Celtics made the NBA Finals in 2022, but lost to the Golden State Warriors in six games. It’s no shame to lose to a team that had previously won three titles in the prior decade, but Tatum’s performance left critics wanting more. He shot just over 36 percent from the field in that series.

A poll conducted by The Athletic in April 2024 reportedly saw some NBA players vote for Jayson Tatum as the most overrated player in the league. This seems to indicate that it isn’t just fans or skeptics who follow opposing teams that are not valuing what Tatum brings to the table.

It’s an interesting reality for Tatum, who by all accounts isn’t an unlikeable person by any stretch. He doesn’t take actions to antagonize opponents, or take credit for accomplishments ahead of his teammates. Tatum described his leadership style to NBC Sports Boston as “reserved, quiet and laid back.”

Tatum addressed the perception that he is a one-dimensional player with Celtics announcer Brian Scalabrine. “I can’t force people to understand everything that I’m doing. People just want to see me score 35 points every night, but there’s so much more to the game of basketball, and so much more that I bring to the table.”

Holiday alluded to the notion that Brown is more persistent when it comes to taking the ball to the basket, whereas Tatum is often viewed as a player who settles for contested jump shots. Tatum is supremely talented and gifted enough to make them, but it leaves fans frustrated that he doesn’t seek out easier attempts more frequently.

Is Jaylen Brown the lead guy for the Celtics, or is it Jayson Tatum? Let us know what you think by leaving a comment!

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