Is The Jayson Tatum Criticism Fair?

[@faygo_ex]

Jayson Tatum is the Anti Front Runner. He plays his worst basketball when he’s in a position of power in a series and plays his best basketball whenever he’s down or shamed into doing so

[@rookieprayerwarrior]

You just described his career perfectly

[@ldking5132]

Basically....🤣

[@faygo_ex]

@@rookieprayerwarrior I’ll never forget that Tatum only started playing good in last years ECF when he was alr down 0-3 instead of jus playing good

[@186Frost]

No way, he does way better when he’s team is ahead a little

[@CMXR]

He has a shame kink

[@Ryan-gq7bf]

The shot isn't falling, but Tatum was still the engine of the offense. He was being doubles the whole time and had 12 assists because he made the right play

[@barebuttspankin]

His teammates stepped up and hit hard shots on grenade passes

[@mikeywallis4085]

Glad Rusty put Tatums whole performance in context, too many people reading just the FG stats and saying he was trash

[@fortynights1513]

One of the first things I noticed was 12 assists and three turnovers in this one.

[@bbcpfghs]

Yup, lots of modern basketball discussion are lacking the nuance needed to have an actually informative take

[@ejp507]

@@bbcpfghsit’s mainly a bunch of mfs still in highschool I’m assuming. Or Some college students who grew up just watching curry and bron. So all that matters to them is Scoring and Rings. It’s disgusting what nba discourse has gotten to because of those guys.

[@Embiidisthebestplayeritl]

Now he’s Ben Simmons!

[@mr.z6252]

​@@fortynights1513 He might not efficient shooting the Ball, but he was efficient in *"EVERYTHING ELSE"*

[@mikeywallis4085]

Calling Brown our best player and then double and triple teaming Tatum every possession is hilarious

[@Fisoj]

They know Tatum is the best player and they are down because they focus too much on stopping him from scoring, Boston is doing the exact opposite and is working

[@charlie_541]

Kidd probably only said that to make Brown and Tatum pit against each other, he doesn't actually believe that

[@CJ-fz9gt]

It’s funny because they’ll do all these mental gymnastics to discredit Tatum, but they will still say Brown isn’t a top 15 player. How do the Celtics have a “super team” if Tatum is a bum and Brown isn’t top 15? Lmfao

[@jhoncarloduron3483]

now you know steph is better than durant this is much like the same scenario

[@akwesirobinson1710]

They are not triple teaming Tatum now basketball I seen the game they made a effort into building wall against brown and they collapsing the paint because they can’t stay in front of them and zoning up their side difference is Boston have 40% shooter your not going to trap brown or Tatum outright Boston have too many shooter know basketball

[@jonmaciel]

People talking about the PJ dunk attempt but ignoring DJJ fouling JT during his layup attempt. The refs mostly just let them play.

[@aurianzarrineh2633]

I dont even think the PJ dunk was a foul, people are trying to say brown pushed him when all he did was put his hand on the back of the jersey, it didnt impact PJs momentum at all. Its at best a very soft foul and like you said they were letting them play in crunch time in the finals

[@puneetsahewala24]

People ignore some of the very important qualities of Tatum 1. His ability to stay healthy is discounted so often....most star players are severely banged up during playoff time but Tatum has this uncanny ability to stay fit always 2. His ability to make defense collapse on him - as Rusty mentioned Tatum with his athleticism and quick foot attracts defenders towards him giving Celtics the 3 point advantage they get often 3. Can guard 1-4 and sometimes stretch 5 easily...

[@jacobvanderhooft2188]

And gets cooked by Luka whenever he wants 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@michaelcadieux]

@@jacobvanderhooft2188tell me you haven't actually watched the games without telling me you haven't actually watched the games

[@puneetsahewala24]

@@jacobvanderhooft2188 Right now he's the one cooking Luka with his drive and kick

[@jacobvanderhooft2188]

@@puneetsahewala24 cooking Luka with a drive and kick 😂 Tatum fanboys always make excuses for shooting 30%

[@puneetsahewala24]

@@jacobvanderhooft2188 whatever man...I love Luka but he's unable to do shit while Tatum is about to get a ring 💍

[@attackongage]

we love the long ass listens rusty these hour long breakdowns of playoff games keep me alive while cooking or doing homework

[@nickmorris3828]

agreed

[@troliskimosko]

Jrue Jaylen Derrick and Kristaps about to share a finals mvp

[@phantom_isle]

Brad Stevens finals MVP

[@adidzis]

@@phantom_isle yes

[@ninjedi6710]

jrue all the way

[@CahlilWesson]

tingus pingus is honestly the most important player, without him the series would actually be a series

[@gardenia4882]

​@CahlilWesson He barely played and they still won.

[@zackspiker_]

I flap my gums a lot as a bartender in Boston, but my big take on this series that got a good deal of pushback was that there would be a game that Tatum scored 18 but did everything else and the Celtics take that game, and he’s done it TWICE!!!

[@comradeyellow6781]

Everyone: "when the shots ain't falling, you gotta find other ways to be impactful" Tatum does literally everything else, including great defense on Luka in the 4th, but he gets called trash anyways. It's clear the media has an agenda against the Celtics. First they were just a regular season team, then they were gonna lose against anyone who comes out of the west, and now it's Tatum ain't their best players, it's Brown, or Holiday or whoever, and it's easy to win with a team as good as this.

[@Madara2B]

haters out in full force to downplay greatness because their fav player missed the chip this year. it is pathetic to read but amusing to me.

[@overkill666100]

We’re gonna win a championship and people are trying to discredit it beforehand 😭😭😭😭

[@arkadiuszrogala1359]

Relax bro, the Celtics are great. But that Tatum top 5 and desperate “face of the league” talk? That’s over.

[@overkill666100]

Who gives a fuck about whatever you’re speaking on. Banner 18 coming soon

[@JCedition1]

@@arkadiuszrogala1359bro I live in Boston and I don’t know anyone except for hardcore fans that have him top 5. That’s part of your own hateful delusion.

[@timcal2136]

@@arkadiuszrogala1359literally just media discourse, very few Boston fans actually make the top 5 argument

[@Losbabyy]

@@JCedition1the media was trying to shove Tatum down out throats as an MVP candidate

[@gamefreak2050]

I actually think this is one of your best videos Rusty, and I’ve watched most of them. Commentary on point lol. So glad you brought up everything that needed to be said cuz it’s true and I just wished all the dumb NBA twitter ppl watched your videos

[@arpaddanos9416]

Tatum is doing incredibly great except for his shooting percentage. He is constantly drawing two or more earlier in an offensive possession, which then gets the defense scrambling and running into rotations, which other Celtics take advantage of. Often the actual bucket is a few passes away from Tatum's last touch so his already high assist numbers (and even hockey assist numbers) will not reflect how much he is contributing.

[@eliek2014]

Damn near triple double. good game from Jason

[@madtex34]

I'm more of a Jaylen Brown fan, but Tatum seems to have the most talent on the team.

[@YouCanCallMeReTro]

Same, people don't realize how many of the Celtics points come out of his playmaking. It should be obvious with 12 assists, but ya know...

[@denyosworldsport6130]

😂Luka had KP and Brunson and they could easily add Holiday. Luka is playing much better with role players than creators, his usage rate is just too high for teammates that Boston has

[@jooyichen]

Its what you get when you have two Scottie Pippen's in a team.

[@madtex34]

@denyosworldsport6130 Luka is the best player on the court for this series, just not on the best team.

[@Zemlja_je_ravna]

Well when they talk about Jokic assists don't seem to matter

[@ADHoops]

Jayson Tatum is proving my theory that most nba fans don’t understand u can shoot poorly and not score a lot and still have the most impact on the floor. Y’all need to watch more then the box stats

[@mershoddredmon1591]

Thank you!!!!

[@javierlandaverde4108]

Also the theory that you can score 30+ and have 8 turnovers and makes it look by the box score you are having a good game. Lol but get beaten easily on defense……

[@RIPJimmyA7X]

​@@javierlandaverde4108 yep exactly, Tatum is outplaying Luka in this series. Tatum is showing how much he's grown since 2022

[@javierlandaverde4108]

@@RIPJimmyA7X Nothing wrong with Luka. He got blown out in game 1 and he needs to drop 40 a game like Lebron in 2018 to have a chance to win. Started well in game 2 but he gassed out in second half. Due to BOS defense and physicality.

[@ceerawlins3412]

@@javierlandaverde4108 Tatum has had a better series than luka.....luka stats in man D: 62-20-11 12TOs....tatum stats v doubles and triples: 34-20-17 9T....meanwhile luka has played near zero D while tatum has SHUTDOWN THE FIVE.....THE FIVE!!! WITH 20 BOARDS TO SHOW FOR IT

[@nocturne311]

You’re a smart basketball fan, Rusty. You can have Ryen Russillo’s job - he said that he thought Kyrie played better than Tatum.

[@fortynights1513]

Is Russillo a Mavs fan?

[@nocturne311]

@@fortynights1513No, I don’t think so. He picked Boston in six, I believe.

[@Nick-sr4fe]

That’s just dumb. Both shot horribly but at least you can make the argument Tatum effect the game in literally every other aspect of basketball

[@lyric1062]

If you put kyrie on the Celtics he’d be having a much better series

[@timcal2136]

@@lyric1062hmm…

[@jonasgorea3823]

He has been excellent at everything that doesn’t involve scoring or shooting. Defensively he’s been the X factor in this series but the rub for people is when people put him in the luka,joker best player in the world convo.

[@GothPaoki]

The x factor??did you watch the games? He ain't better than brown, white, porzingis or jrue defensively. That's a laughable argument.

[@fortynights1513]

⁠@@GothPaokiIf he’s the fifth best defender on the team then how good is this team defensively?

[@GothPaoki]

Were an insane defensive team this ain't a secret. But he definitely isn't the x factor on defense.

[@dominiquesmith7680]

He’s in that top 5 convo before and especially if he wins this ring. The resume speaks for itself

[@jonasgorea3823]

@@GothPaoki putting tatum on the big man has cut off the mavs biggest threat, the lob, putting Tatum on the big man has effectively taken out both of Dallas bigs amd stops the defense from being in rotation which also prevents corner 3’s. Thats dallas’ oxygen that Boston has cut off because of the role Tatum is playing.

[@Strategic_Reformer]

Idk man, simply having your hand on someone back isnt a push off: Jaylen didnt extend his arm, and it looked like there was absolutely no force transfered at all.

[@jaceygaither2581]

Mostly rooting for the Mavs but Jrue Holiday winning another ring and finals MVP would be peak basketball. I love Jrue

[@michaelcadieux]

2k14 goat iykyk

[@fatesandgates]

There are a lot of casuals in this chat who do not know basketball.

[@GothPaoki]

I can see people's arguments about Tatum. Most often than not it's the stars doing the carrying not the other way around. In this case it seems like an insane roster is carrying the star. Normally you see stars shine in those moments and being the reference of their teams putting insane performances without which their teams wouldn't win.You don't see that here. I believe Stevens is the absolute mvp of Celtics this year. The team he assembled is incomprehensible good. He deserves huge credit.

[@fortynights1513]

I’ve seen people compare this team to the 04 Pistons because of team play and defense. If so, that’s a team that stands out for how well rounded it is as opposed to how well the best individual players played.

[@akwesirobinson1710]

Boston actually have a top 10 or 15 player in Tatum and brown piston don’t have that and Boston can scores

[@solrneon2116]

I dont understand the “carrying” narrative. Basketball is a team sport and while the boston celtics are obviously a team featuring so many star level players, that only works when all those stars buy into playing as a team. Tatum hasn’t been getting “carried” he is making winning plays at the highest level, as anyone should in a team sport

[@akwesirobinson1710]

Facts he doing the right plays and it allowing that team to function

[@donsnow8039]

​@solrneon2116 The difference between Tatum and other stars is that he gets the luxury to focus on making the right play. It's not his fault, but from what I've seen it looks like he can only function on a team built like this. In the OKC DAL series, SGA was great but it wasn't enough because his teammates couldn't score off of anything he created. He had to focus on being the whole offense and he did it well but that's where teammates come in. Tatum's not getting carried but he's a smaller part of his team's success than other top players

[@michaelcarrig627]

He isn't shooting well, but his passing, rebounding, and defense have been fantastic. I think this analysis is pretty thin.

[@johnbradley8780]

How ?Are you watching the games? TATUM has the most talent 😂 if that is true. I feel sorry for Boston.

[@Arturo_Kilgore_Morgan]

I think Tatum’s low volume would be forgiven if he was more efficient. Especially considering Boston fans like to put him in top 5/high top 10 convos it’s natural to hold guys to those higher standards.

[@bpdmf2798]

Luka looks exhausted doing his best 4th quarter Embiid impression. I bet this gets him to come into next season with much better conditioning.

[@MartinThePolarBear]

Most fans don't like Tatum because it's very likely that their favorite player would have already won a ring or more if they had teams like Tatum's. Basically they're frustrated/mad that Tatum has been spoiled his whole career with teammates he's had

[@fortynights1513]

Haven’t thought of that, but it makes sense

[@GothPaoki]

Exactly. The mvp this year for us is not Tatum is not brown. It's brad Stevens. He formed an insane team.

[@anshkaushik7920]

and those same fans will praise KDs rings

[@ldking5132]

That's wack. Nobody hated Magic and Bird for being placed in literal championship tier teams immediately. Imagine being gifted Kareem as your teammate straight out of college? People nowadays are extremely negative. Even Kobe had shaq. PRIME shaq immediately in his career.

[@GetenIce]

Tatum with 76ers teams in the last 5 years would have the same if not more amount Finals appearances as he does now

[@Fearthegoatee]

Way too hard on Kyrie.. What is he supposed to do? The Celtics have the 2 best perimeter defenders in basketball on the same team. Then you get a switch into JT or JB? He's 6"3 this teams needs more weapons. The Luka Harden style of basketball has never ever worked. If CP3 didn't blow a hammy.. Maybe. Kyrie is a big reason they made it further than Harden ever could.

[@uFFFO]

Might be beating a dead horse here, but Minnesota ain't got shit on Boston defensively.

[@lewishamilton537]

At the end of the day I don’t think JT gives a shit, he just wants the chip

[@cameronpower7814]

I don’t think the late foul was blatant, but given the gravity of moment, a minute left in game 2 of the finals, there should be more scrutiny on these plays

[@patrick05Morgan]

It was blatant. Two guys jump with an offensive player after pushing him in the back and then smack his hand instead of the ball.

[@skane260]

@@patrick05Morganthey were letting them be physical all game. In comparison to the physicality and non-calls all game, it makes sense why it wasn’t called

[@danieldaw1778]

I mean, Jaylen pushed him and Derrick Whitw for nothing but hand on the same play. Even looking at it at full speed I thought it looked like they missed it. I just don't understand how Shai got called for a foul when he got the ball first with 2 seconds left on PJ Washington and here they just no call it.

[@andrewhelfrich2368]

of COURSE i watched the whole video boy you got my favorite videos on the platform right now i was astounded when i realized you didn’t have millions of subscribers

[@briancordry8165]

oh my god it finally happened... you pronounced "also" correctly in your intro. have always loved your content, now i don't have to die inside while you introduce it

[@suto5704]

Furiosa is such a good film

[@bedstuy4_l895]

Tatum has proved he is an easy top 10-15 player with his all around play in this series, but there just isn’t any chance he can elevate himself into top 5 conversations the way he’s shooting. He hasn’t hurt his reputation too much, but I don’t know if there’s anything he can do the rest of the series to help it.

[@supercasualgamer513]

💯

[@Gabbagool345]

Yes, Tatum is in that 6-11 conversation and there’s no shame in that. As a Celtics fan, I can Atleast admit that unless he takes another big leap, he’s just a very very very good player, But not a top 5 guy.

[@akwesirobinson1710]

What do this series do for brown he played above his regular season numbers all playoffs long he passed better he defended better he did everything better this playoff and won conference mvp and now he could potentially win fmvp so where do that move him up to it just a question

[@Blood_Video_company]

@@Gabbagool345again Paul pierce conversationd

[@supercasualgamer513]

@@akwesirobinson1710 Unfortunately, for him, it doesn't move him much. Context matters. The primary reason he's able to do what he's doing is because he's the second best of a duo that's damn near equal Basketball minds can see that Jaylen should rightfully win FMVP (as of rn) while being the second best player on a stacked squad

[@usmnt4423]

Tatum is gonna have some bonkers close out game, isn’t he. I just know where this is going already.

[@FinnSwede906]

I think Tatum is just lucky to be in the right place at the right time

[@urbaindelva7869]

Wym "right place, right time"? He was drafted there. What makes you think he wouldn't be this good in another situation?

[@brycewilliams1042]

@@urbaindelva7869are you slow

[@FinnSwede906]

@@urbaindelva7869 I mean what I said. His teammates are carrying him rn, the roster is stacked. I'm a Celtics fan myself, so it's disappointing to see the ⭐ player underperform in the most important games of his life. Larry Bird had an arguably even more stacked roster than Tatum (in '84 and '86) but he never let them carry him through a finals series.

[@Colin995]

@@FinnSwede906 Then you must be just looking at the box scores then

[@Colin995]

@@howsittastes I mean, for a start you could actually watch the games to see his impact. Drawing 2-3 defenders on a majority of his drives. That freed up his teammates allowing them to cut or be open for a three. No one is saying his scoring was good, 6 of 22 is a big yikes, but to say he is being carried when he is generating the offense and being a key piece on how they're defending is asinine. It is actually good that Tatum has developed some playmaking skills because in previous years he would have force a shot on every drive

[@Dawheel90]

Completely agree with you Rusty, especially on the over-merchandising of the NBA finals and the league management killing the vibe. C's are doing what they have to do to win, no matter who's scoring and from where on the court, the important thing is getting the W at the end of the 48mins.

[@Other_Robots]

Tatum is a good player, def a star in the league but it feels like the superstar title was unearned. Like if he wasn’t on the Celtics, or have that kobe hype early on, he’d be viewed the way people view jimmy butler: Obv a mad good player but a tier below superstar. Which is why people overly criticize tatum when he’s not putting up luka (an actual superstar) type stats

[@Blood_Video_company]

You just described Paul pierce

[@mrrobertfacehead]

Luka is a one sided player, JT is two way superstar so his impact overall is greater. Media just glazing Luka

[@seanmolloy2172]

I dont get the celtics hate. You can say they are boring. But how do you get hate from boring? Fans? Hate yes. Players? Just boring.

[@dontforgetsolstice1403]

We need this uploaded to spotify gang 🙏🏾 Love the content and would prefer to listen on spotify sometimes but the audio releases seem a little delayed.

[@DaNewWaveLee]

Tatum is doing a lot to win the game. It’s like he’s being mentored by Al. Tatum evolution from guard to forward has been interesting too. He’s definitely one of the best forwards in the league.

[@bpdmf2798]

He was never a guard but he did play not enough in the paint most of his career.

[@rm-rc7zj]

tatum could drop 40 every game and he would still get criticized

[@GothPaoki]

Jason Tatum is not the bus driver. He's the bus air conditioning maintenance guy!

[@someguycp]

why are we disrespecting the bus air conditioning guy, he provides more value to his job

[@johnbradley8780]

😂 right, he's a bum

[@GothPaoki]

@@someguycp that's actually true respect to air conditioning maintenance guys

[@diegotaborda4613]

@@johnbradley8780in a youtube comment section calling the #1 option on a team in the finals a bum😂 you got a mirror handy?

[@fortynights1513]

So a glue guy?

[@andy0519]

Gracias a ustedes por la iniciativa, se hizo todo lo mejor que se pudo. Kramnik ya está entrando a un nivel de paranoia, mala fe y estupidez inigualables en el mundo del ajedrez. Dan ganas de decirle lo mala clase que es, pero vive en su mundo y no va a entender nada. Sigan adelante y adiós a Kramnik. Primera vez que los veo a ustedes porque normalmente consumo contenido en inglés, pero fue realmente entretenido el evento y los comentarios. Seguiré atento a ver qué más hacen por el ajedrez.

[@antoinehenderson1659]

You are totally right about Luka. He can't drag this team to a finals win if everyone else not named Luka doesn't step up. Game 2 was close. If just a few more shots from Kyrie and everyone else connected, they could have won. If these other players don't step up, they are going to get swept.

[@thecoolrich]

Tatum always missing wide open layups 😂😂😂

[@Mrman8313]

No that was Luka game 3

[@ceerawlins3412]

Tatum has had a better series than luka.....luka stats in man D: 62-20-11 12TOs....tatum stats v doubles and triples: 34-20-17 9T....meanwhile luka has played near zero D while tatum has SHUTDOWN THE FIVE.....THE FIVE!!! WITH 20 BOARDS TO SHOW FOR IT

[@politepupper111]

Really good analysis, thank you!

[@tomaszkowal3243]

Well shit, big time C fan but overall a football fan... still like your perspective of the game... Tis why I watch your channel!

[@leeswift7883]

The main reasons why the Mavs lost were the 2 areas they had the most control over - 16/24 from the line and -5 in turnovers

[@CashCarti24]

I like jayson tatum but i just don’t understand why he doesn’t play good all the time like he has the talent and skill to do so

[@immortalfit]

Tatum is better than Luka overall, Luka is overrated because he’s good on offense. Tatum has size, athleticism, and defense over Luka . And he’s a better teammate. He doesn’t need to dominate the ball to be impactful. If Luka is off the ball he’s a statue.

[@thecoolrich]

If Celtics play nuggets, this series would be flipped! That’s probably the only team they struggled against regularly season

[@zsomborszigeti6797]

Hot take: the actual most skilled players ever are guys like Isaiah, Steph, Nash, CP, Jokic, Kobe and who I would put #1 Jerry West. He had the handles as good as anyone in his time, as well as shooting and passing and every other offensive skill, making the right decision practically all the time, but he also had every single defensive trick in the book.

[@bpdmf2798]

Mavs wouldn't beat the Pacers playing like this.

[@EliotMorgan-fl7my]

Oh come on man… These are far and away the best two teams in basketball.. Boston are just far and away the best team in basketball

[@greyklopstock7155]

See, I think this should be a lesson to Tatum that he needs to develop a go-to one on one move in the off-season. Cause he's very skilled, and he can impact the game even when shooting poorly. But he could be a top 5 player with this roster if he had a consistent, efficient go-to move. Sometimes he tries to go Kobe with the pull up and fade. Sometimes, he tries to go KD and launch threes off the dribble. And lately, he's been driving to the basket a lot to kick out to teammates, which I've always felt like was his best use case. However, I feel like if he developed SOMETHING to get him easy shots consistently, Jayson would be an entirely different animal. I think the best thing he could try to develop would be a close range bump and shoot. The guy who's the best at this was Kawhi for a while. He'd get right around the free throw line, bump you with his strength, and it'd create enough space for him to go straight up and hit the shot. SGA uses that move a lot when he's not trying to draw fouls. A guy who developed it over the course of this last season was Jonathan Kuminga. When he got rolling around the all star break, Kuminga was able to get to that shot on basically any perimeter defender you threw at him. I think Tatum has the tools to make that a significant part of his game.

[@ElijiahCater-xg9dq]

My opinion on Jayson Tatum has arrived

[@ithurtsdoesntit]

What is very sad, exactly what Luka needed, Jalen Brunson proved to be, but now he plays for the Knicks.

[@mort996]

Thank you for pointing out the Finals vibe man, it just feels so off. It's almost as watching a regular season game, if you showed it to me and told me it's a regular season game I would believe you. If it didn't say it's the finals there's nothing else that shows it

[@Emmanuel-yp4eq]

We’ve seen Tatum step up when it matters most on many occasions in past playoff series, I wouldn’t be surprised if he has a huge offensive Game 3 or 4 Boston was going to win this series regardless

[@EJ-jw9ow]

Dont forget during Tatum's last Finals run, he set an NBA RECORD with ONE HUNDRED TURNOVERS in a single postseason. This aint new.

[@jason10184]

We went on a 9-2 run with Kleber on the floor, so that's just wrong. 16:22

[@EmmanuelAniTheSchism]

"The finals suck!" Viewership went from lowest game 1 to highest viewership for game 2 in *five YEARS*

[@murphyboy24]

I know praising the Celtics hurts Rusty beyond measure

[@TechReviewish]

JT should thank god for tingis pingis and Jrue Holiday.

[@slime8642]

Replace Tatum with Josh Hart and the Celtics are still up 2-0

[@emilfrederiksen.1622]

If this was Jokic or any other superstar they wouldn't so many excuses as Tatum does. Superstars are always double and triple teamed in the playoffs lol that is not an excuse to suck. Tatum has gotten hardcore carried in the playoffs by Brown who is a better player than him.

[@antwan1357]

i think both teams have a lot to be happy about this year. Last year Dallas didn't even make the playoffs and last year Boston couldn't get past Miami .

[@akshaysundru482]

I think the Tatum criticism is overblown but its not unwarranted to an extent especially in comparison to how we treat other superstars. Yes his only problem right now is his horrid efficiency but at a certain point if you're a superstar like Tatum is held up as you overcome that, guys like LeBron, Steph, KD have been gameplanned much more strictly than Tatum and put up spectacular performances even with that. Even if you don't hold him at level, if you replace his name with Russell Westbrook, the criticism would be off the charts. Guys like Giannis have been routinely criticised for their playoff performance even with them producing much better than Tatum has but this might be more to do with the idiocy of NBA media criticism.

[@MoreHeatPlease]

Sorry JT stans JB has been better. Stop dancing your way around JTs shooting slump. "He does other things" so does JB. FINALS MVP JB!!

[@marlow7376]

The only thing Tatum is the best at is receiving pity and excuses for his dogshit play

[@oneautumnleaff2119]

the no call on the double block doesnt matter, it was getting blocked regardless.

[@alsorustybuckets]

That’s not true though lol. A foul is a foul

[@malone2860]

JB is gonna wake up pissed one day after retirement cuz he did so much, and does not have the accolades, and the legacy that he deserves meanwhile JT gets mentioned in top 10 debates. Happened to Pippin, will happen to Klay too.

[@augustofranklim5409]

JB just had his ECF MVP and is on the convo for FMVP... Plus, he's set for life, takes care of his loved ones and has iniciatives outside basketball. Dude's ok with it

[@Mrman8313]

Klay wouldn’t have a title without Steph neither would Draymond.

[@stevenwhiters8928]

Tatum approach is bad. Gotta simplify his game

[@Shawnjohson1608]

It didn’t help that derrick whites late foul on PJ Washington wasn’t called. And change the momentum for Dallas.

[@iguesss]

Stop being soft on Tatum.. few years from now he is going to call himself the greatest small forward ever if yall keep babying him and changing the requirements

[@MO-rl9gl]

People being like “Tatums making the right plays”. Bro is supposed to be a SUPERSTAR. He shouldn’t get special credit for doing the bare minimum. He’s been subpar. That’s it. We need to stop giving him a pass because his team are winning m. People be basing individuals off results. Smh

[@GothPaoki]

Exactly. Luka getting roasted and he's insane Tatum gets carried like shit and we're supposed to not mention it

[@AbsoleteAim]

​@@GothPaokiLuka's not getting roasted. What? Literally, the narrative has been "Luka needs more help,"and that doesn't sound like Luka's getting roasted. His defense has been poor. That's just a fact.

[@zhanehhylton6868]

​@@AbsoleteAim tatum has been mid on defense and awful offensively

[@karthikwhy]

I don't think you understand basketball buddy

[@CJ-fz9gt]

@@zhanehhylton6868”mid on defense” he’s a big part of why the “best backcourt in nba history” has not been able to create any plays for their bigs and shooters.

[@jacobvanderhooft2188]

Hey guys, where were all these excuses for guys like Giannis and Jokic who have literally the whole team guarding them at some points and they still find a way to succeed in an efficient way, yet some people say Tatum should be in the MVP discussion and can’t beat 2 or 3 to save his life. Stop making excuses for this guy. He’s not it

[@mr.z6252]

Its funny how they're whining about a Foul call.... that barely even matter, maybe if they shoot 80% from FT line it would've matter a bitt ?!?! But they're not 😂

[@CookedByJerm]

crazy how he mentions jerry west

[@evanstensland611]

He has been Bostons worst starter on defense and I’d say their worst starter on offense as well. The defense I’ll give him a pass because Jrue and White are all NBA caliber guys, Porzingus is a center, and Brown has been playing out of his mind on that side of the ball. But the offense has been abysmal, and call me a casual but I don’t care if he’s averaging 3.5 more assists a game than the regular season. He’s been a black hole shot wise, these are the kind of numbers you expect from Tim Hardway, not a top 10 guy.

[@ethanbrown4628]

At least you know you’re a casual

[@evanstensland611]

@@ethanbrown4628 tell me one incorrect thing I said, as the guy below you stated, every other player on the team has lived up to their expectations and then some, Tatum is the best player on the team, but he sure as hell hasn’t played like it to start the series.

[@ethanbrown4628]

@@evanstensland611 yes we can all acknowledge he is not shooting the ball well. That is one aspect of the game. He runs the entire offense, shutting down the lob threat of the mavericks who had 60 in the first 3 rounds and 1 in 2 games so far, and elite rebounding. Box score isn’t going to encapsulate the performances he’s putting up and that’s fine. He’s having a B finals so far but most definitely can shoot better to bring it up.

[@CBrown]

I'd say the Jason Tatum criticism is mostly fair. Like most criticisms some do go overboard and make themselves sound like a hater even when their points are mostly valid. I'm sure some will think I sound like one and that's OK. I'm at least trying to be fair here. Jason Tatum is a very good player. I believe he sees himself as the kind of guy who is an MVP, a Top 10 player, and "that guy" for lack of a better term. I don't think he's that calibur of player. Yeah, he's being defended differently because, in terms of pure talent, he might be Boston's best player but look at all the players who fit the above bill and how they are defended: Steph Curry, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Jokic, Luka...those guys are all defended differently and yet all manage to look like "that guy" the majority of the time. Tatum shrinks. Think back to the close-out Game 6 of the 2022 Finals. Early on, he hits a 3 and holds the pose, bumps chest, and is feeling himself. The game starts to get out of hand and he's basically ineffective. Compare Tatum to Brown now: Statistically those two were practically the same player during the regular season. Neither of them had stats that made either look much better than the other. Not like when you look at Steph and Klay or Jokic and Murray or Luka and Kyrie, etc. Stats aside, when you watch them play, it's usually pretty obvious who the better player is. I'm not so sure with Tatum and Brown. This is especially true during the playoffs and I go back to the 2022 Finals for a comparable example: During that same Game 6 where Tatum disappeared, Jaylen Brown scored the most points of any player (tied with Steph actually) and was highly efficient compared to Tatum who was horribly inefficient. Brown tried his best to will a win there while Tatum seemed to be overcome by the moment. It looks the same here. Again, I understand that the two are being defended differently but if you're going to try and convince me that Tatum is that MVP kind of player, he needs to be out there looking like Jalen Brunson and saying "it doesn't matter how you defend me". Tatum can't just get away with taking 22 shots and then saying he's not focused on scoring because he was 27%. And this is the reason I think the criticism is mostly fair. He's literally complained about being underrated and overlooked in the MVP conversation and continues to underperform in the most crucial moments. If you're going to ask to be looked at as the best player in the league, an MVP, then you need to look like that when it matters. You need to be clearly better than the next best guy on your team and Tatum is not. Again, he's a really really good player. I do think he's just having a couple bad games. It happens. I think it happened in 2022. But this criticism comes with the territory of being "the guy" on the team. Kyrie is getting roasted for not performing up to his "most taleneted player ever" billing, Anthony Davis gets it every time he doesn't show up, "fans" are calling for Klay Thompson's job. Star players get this kind of heat. Is it right from a moral type of sense? Debatable. Is it fair? Yeah. If everyone in the same boat is getting it then yeah, it's fair.

[@Landon-f2y]

i feel like when you have a team as good as boston the points are gonna average out evenly between the stars everyone is getting they’re buckets

[@tonytooshort]

Kyrie has been shaky every time he gets the ball. He's been bobbling the ball, tripping over himself, he bounced the ball off his shoe. He just looks nervous out there.

[@calcomstock8]

Yall do not know what front runner means 💀💀

[@gandydancer9710]

7:11 RB said earlier that Dallas had zero lobs, but here is one. No biggie, but he was wrong.

[@nstone95]

This years finals > last years and it’s not even done yet

[@Unknown-User44]

Doesn't matter... it's a team sport and his teammates stepping up

[@michaelod324]

We have to chill out with the Kyrie stuff, he is dealing with either Jrue or Derrick White, that’s a nightmare for any guard in the NBA, and Kyrie is no exception to that

[@nicolaskidd1507]

This mightcbe considered as a hot take, but as a Bucks fan, i think Jrue actually enjoyed being the 3rd option. And an even hotter take, i will not be surprised idnhe leaves this team to go to a team that will give him a bigger offensive role

[@urbaindelva7869]

Jrue has never given the impression that he believes that he's better than he is, so I doubt that.

[@soodhooku]

Jayson Tatum is a weird player to me. It’s like he has everything to be a true top 3-5 player - size, wingspan, defensive IQ, all 3 levels scorer, passer, rebounder, team player. But he just doesn’t push himself to the limits, he rarely takes over games and/or series. I know he’s impactful without scoring 25. But it’s frustrating because I want him to be that guy cause he can be.

[@urbaindelva7869]

He has taken over games and/or series. He just doesn't need to now because of the players he has around him.

[@adkjani1]

I know Boston swept the Pacers, but the games were so competitive because of the speed and pace. Dallas needs to speed things up so Boston can't impose their defense as well.

[@iguesss]

This is important because when Tatum is getting ready to retire and wants to call himself on of the greatest small forwards of all time.. this will be brought up

[@Jack-ws5gq]

This implies he won’t have other finals appearances to prove himself

[@iguesss]

@@Jack-ws5gq he might not. Nothing is guaranteed, especially if Giannis gets the right pieces

[@mightbejimi]

trade jalen brown for a guy in street clothes 😂 glad we never did that

[@adidzis]

JT is doing his work nearby perfect, don't paying the main attention to his stats but cementing the whole teamwork. He's absolutely efficient and he's one of the main factors which leads Celts to the Banner. Greetings from Latvija!

[@Cthulhu357]

Not me feeling shitty for using only the marias executioner sword for a playthru.. (elden ring my first souls game)

[@norkbork]

genuine question why do u hate boston/so many people hate boston? i just don’t understand lol

[@markcarey67]

Brad Stevens should get finals MVP. You have the same basic roster as 2022 then add Jrue and KP......

[@ithurtsdoesntit]

Jrue averaging damn near 20 points and 10 rebounds. 😂

[@murphyboy24]

I just don't get the hate for Tatum, like its not his fault he has good teammates he can rely on when he doesn't score well, like what do they want him to do? Chuck up shots until he has 30 or stop shooting and do literally everything else very well. If he wins the chip he's going to be discredited, the narrative around him is just so unfair, what do people want from him?

[@_Osirus12]

he gets so much hate bc Boston media continues to put him in conversations he doesn't belong

[@AbsoleteAim]

​@@_Osirus12And just about every other media outlet downplays his ability, that more than evens it out.

[@patrick05Morgan]

@@AbsoleteAimit’s not downplaying his ability if he’s actually proving them right. Shooting 30% from the field with open attempts all game is unacceptable.

[@AbsoleteAim]

@@patrick05Morgan He didn't have open attempts all game, the efficiency does need to be better.