Recently, Celtics All-Star forward Jayson Tatum has been besieged by criticism. Even after being named All-NBA first team for the third consecutive year, he could not escape critics.
Tatum averaged 26.8 ppg, 8.1 rpg and 4.9 assists per game this season while leading Boston to the best record in the league. He also finished sixth in the MVP voting.
Despite that, some criticize him by saying that teammate Jaylen Brown is the team’s star. Brown, a 3x All-Star who was left off the all-NBA list, averaged 23 ppg, 5 rpg and 3 apg this season.
Many see Brown as one of the best two-way wing players in the NBA, yet he has not received the attention or as many accolades as Tatum.
Even though Brown has not gotten the proper recognition, this postseason he’s showing why he deserved a spot on the all-NBA list. Brown recently had a 40-point performance which tied his playoff career high. Then, after sweeping the Pacers on Sunday night, he was named Eastern Conference Finals MVP.
"All praise to the most high." ????????
— First and Pen (@firstandpen) May 28, 2024
Congrats to Jaylen Brown, who won Eastern Conference Finals MVP after averaging 29.8 ppg and 5 rpg.
Brown helped the Celtics ???? the Pacers and Boston now advances to their 23rd NBA Finals.☘️ pic.twitter.com/WC2JOVVEnc
Brown continues to impress during the postseason, which has many questioning who is the best player on the team.
The Celtics have needed Brown’s increased performance, particularly due to Tatum’s lack of three-point shooting efficiency. In his six previous postseasons, Tatum had shot 35% from the three-point line. But during this year’s playoffs, he’s shooting 29%.
Tatum’s overall playoff performance has been great. He’s averaging 26 ppg and has scored 30+ in four of the last seven games. In Game 3 against the Pacers, when Boston needed him most, Tatum stepped up and dropped 36 while adding 10 rebounds and 8 assists without a single turnover.
The Celtics are 12-2 in the playoffs, and at times Boston didn’t need big nights from Tatum as they were up double digits and his supporting cast, including Jrue Holiday, who always seems to play well in the playoffs, carried the load.
But to win a championship, the Celtics will need Tatum to deliver.
