Introduction Jayson Tatum NBA Punching Bag
Jayson Tatum’s Clutch Performance and Criticisms Jayson Tatum NBA Punching Bag
From 2022 to 2024 Jason Tatum was the worst clutch shooter in the NBA making just 35% of his shots. Jayson Tatum NBA Punching Bag Tatum made two NBA Finals but he’s the second least efficient player in NBA finals history. It’s not just that Jaylen Brown is outplaying Jason Tatum; Drew Holiday’s outplaying Jason Tatum. Jayson Tatum NBA Punching Bag You could argue Derek White’s out playing Jason Tatum, Jayson Tatum NBA Punching Bag Chris STS in limited minutes you could argue is out playing Jason Tatum. Fans and the media trash talking Tatum isn’t new. Jayson Tatum NBA Punching Bag You know what? I’m so over Jason Tatum especially after the 2022 Finals lost to the Warriors and the complete meltdown against the Miami Heat in 2023.Jayson Tatum NBA Punching Bag
Tatum’s Championship and Perceptions of His Success
Then Tatum won a championship which was supposed to shut everybody up but it didn’t. People kept saying that Jaylen Brown was better, they kept saying Tatum was corny for getting a tattoo of himself or for imitating other people during the Celtics title celebration and nobody really liked how he was still messaging Kobe Bryant 2 years after his death, something that he’s continually clowned about to this day. He texted Kobe right before game seven and said “I got you,” however the ultimate disrespect Tatum received wasn’t from some fan, it was from Steve Kerr, Team USA’s head coach at the 2024 Olympics. Two months after he won the NBA title, Tatum got glued to the bench in the Olympic opener in the semi-final against Serbia. Kerr benched Tatum again, not giving him a single second of playing time in the most important game of the tournament. You don’t not play Jason Tatum. That man just won an NBA championship, cover of NBA2K, cover of Sports Illustrated saying cheers, and when I think about what he did to Jason Tatum during the Summer Olympics, it is inexcusable, damn near unforgivable.
Tatum’s Career Accomplishments and Stats
This is a first team All-NBA player the last three years. This is a reigning defending NBA champion. It was the storyline that divided the US as some people believed Jason was being heavily disrespected, while others clowned Tatum saying he had no right to play over the other players on the team. But what’s the real reason this keeps happening? Why do people hate and disrespect Jason Tatum so much? If we look at his numbers and accolades, Tatum’s one of the most accomplished young players ever. He works extremely hard and is never involved in any kind of drama. Since Jason got drafted in 2017, no other player has won more games than him, both in the regular season and the playoffs. Also, since he came to the NBA, nobody scored more points in the playoffs than him, and Tatum leads this category by a sizable margin, scoring about 600 more points than LeBron and Steph Curry and 700 more than Giannis Antetokounmpo. Before turning 25, Tatum had scored 9,429 points, the seventh most for any player in NBA history. During his 2024 Championship run, JT reached another big milestone becoming the all-time playoff scoring leader under the age of 27, passing up his idol Kobe Bryant, and in 2024, Tatum became just the sixth player in NBA history to win a title and lead his team in points, rebounds, and assists over the entire playoff run.
Tatum’s Impact on the Celtics’ Success
Boston’s offensive rating was 120 with Tatum on the court and 101.7 when he was on the bench, by far the highest margin on the 2024 Celtics. And before he turned 27, Tatum made the Conference Finals five times and NBA Finals twice with one title. In comparison, Michael Jordan made just two Conference Finals before his 27th birthday, both times losing to the Pistons. However, Tatum’s most impressive ability is his availability. In the age of load management and deliberately missing games, Jason has been one of the most durable players in the NBA who always wants to play, help his team win, and put on a show for the fans. Since he came to the league, only five players have played more games than Tatum in the regular season, and only DeMar DeRozan played more minutes in the playoffs. So far, JT logged 4,443 minutes in 113 playoff games, and the only players in NBA history to top either mark before turning 27 are Kobe Bryant and Tony Parker. He’s there for every single practice, every single game, loves being coached. Your franchise player has to be the cornerstone of what you do, and he makes everyone’s life easier.
Reasons for Tatum’s Dislike
So to sum it up, since he’s been in the league, Tatum’s made more Conference Finals than anybody, has more wins than anybody, has the most playoff points, won a championship, has two Olympic gold medals, and he’s never missed a playoff game. So why do people still hate this guy? Well, there’s five major reasons why Jason Tatum’s disliked by fans. The first of which happened before he even entered the NBA when he was playing for Duke. Duke has been the most hated College basketball program in the country since the days of Christian Laettner in the early 90s, and even though most of the hate during Tatum’s time at Duke went toward his teammate Grayson Allen, who was one of the most loathed collegiate players of all time, being on a team with Allen definitely didn’t help Tatum’s popularity either. And then Tatum got drafted by the Boston Celtics, another historic and historically disliked franchise. Nearly all opposing players that come to Boston get savagely trash-talked by the Celtic fans, and the majority of players will tell you that Boston is the team they love to beat the most. And since Boston is the most successful NBA franchise ever with 18 NBA titles, they’ve crushed the dreams of opposing fan bases many times. So rarely do neutral fans ever cheer for a Celtics player, and if Tatum got drafted by the Suns, for example, who had the fourth pick in the 2017 draft, he would have likely been much more popular with the general public.
Tatum’s Personality and Media Image
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Tatum’s Media Presence
But playing for the Celtics wouldn’t be such a problem if Tatum’s personality was slightly more engaging and outgoing. Unlike Anthony Edwards, for example, who’s a quote machine, a straight talker, and is unapologetically himself with the media, I have not been to Minnesota in probably 20 years, bring gas. You don’t get that same vibe with JT. If you watch Tatum’s press conferences, you almost always get the same not too high, not too low answers. His tone of voice is soft, his answers are predictable, just trying, I guess, enjoy the moment. I kept saying “wow,” and watching his pressers can lull you to sleep. Now, there’s nothing wrong with that, and there have been plenty of superstars who aren’t very outgoing and give bland answers to the media—Tim Duncan, John Stockton, Derrick Rose, and Kawhi Leonard certainly fall into that category. Well, I mean, I don’t really judge my, you know, game like that. Not everybody wants to win the popularity contest. However, with Tatum, it seems like he was media trained too well, and it doesn’t come off as genuine as some other players. Yic also doesn’t like speaking to the media that much, and we all know that he’d rather be with his horses than answer basketball questions. But if you look at his press conferences, they’re often hilarious and unquestionably genuine. I didn’t hear one word that you said, and you simply don’t get that feeling with Jason.
Tatum’s Actions and Criticisms
Furthermore, if you asked many NBA fans to describe Tatum’s personality with one word, that would probably be “corny.” Hours before the Celtics faced the Heat in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals in 2022, Tatum sent a text to Kobe Bryant’s phone number that read, “I got you today.” JT would come true on his promise, scoring 26 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists as the Celtics won and advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time in 12 years. And after the game, Tatum paid another tribute to
atum’s Controversial Celebration and Fan Backlash Jayson Tatum NBA Punching Bag
Bryant taking a picture with his hands on his head in the Eastern Conference championship trophy at his feet, this photo mimicked Bryant’s iconic bathroom photo with the Larry O’Brien trophy after the Lakers won the 2001 NBA Finals. However, due to Kobe passing away and Tatum only winning the Conference Finals and not the actual Championship, many people considered it a really weird flex. JT didn’t win many fans with that stunt, especially after the Celtics lost the NBA Finals to the Warriors a few weeks later. Several months later, before the start of the 2023 season, a reporter asked Tatum about the most frustrating moment of 2022, clearly wanting Jason to talk about the finals loss. However, Jason said something completely unexpected: “The toughest moment for me was blowing that 25-point lead in New York and then RJ Barrett hitting the game-winning shot over me. That was the toughest, that was the lowest moment for me.” This was another weird answer, and Celtics fans didn’t appreciate him being more upset about a regular season game than the NBA Finals.
Tatum’s Pre-Planned Celebrations and Comparisons
Fast forward two years later, and the Celtics finally did win the championship, defeating the Dallas Mavericks four games to one in the Finals. Tatum then did his best to copy previous famous celebrations, which were clearly pre-planned and again made him seem disingenuous. First, he copied KG’s legendary “Anything is possible!” immediately after winning the title. Then, in another on-court interview, he used Steph Curry’s “What are they going to say now?” In the locker room, it was time for another Kobe imitation, now with the Larry O’Brien trophy, which Tatum would later tattoo on his back. Finally, during the championship parade, Tatum switched to pop culture, citing Kanye West: “Everybody want to know what I would do if I didn’t win, I guess we’ll never know.” So if you want an original quote from Jason, you might have to wait until he wins a few more championships and uses up every famous quote from other stars.
Tatum’s Inconsistent Play and High Expectations
The fifth and biggest reason why Jason can be irritating is his play, which has been consistently inconsistent from the moment he came to the NBA. Part of the reason for that is that Tatum set really high standards for himself from the jump, averaging 18 points on 47% shooting as a rookie during the 2018 playoffs, including the iconic dunk on LeBron James in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals. A photo of that moment would later end up hanging in Tatum’s home, and from that moment, everybody expected big things from Tatum, thinking he’d take the throne from LeBron and become the greatest player in the NBA in a few years. But it didn’t happen like that. Tatum’s shooting efficiency regressed in the next four seasons, especially in the playoffs, as Tatum fell in love with his turnaround jump shot, clearly imitating Kobe. JT often took hard contested shots instead of passing the ball to an open teammate or driving to the basket and getting to the free throw line. When his jumper was falling, Tatum really looked unstoppable, like Game 7 of the second round against the Sixers in 2023 when he scored 51 points. However, when his jumper wasn’t going in, Tatum often kept shooting and missing even more, not willing to mix up his offense. He also often got criticized for being too passive without the ball, especially in the fourth quarter, as there were plenty of stretches in big games where he didn’t have any impact, seemingly just doing cardio and playing “your turn, my turn” basketball with Jaylen Brown.Jayson Tatum NBA Punching Bag
Criticism from Marcus Smart and Tatum’s Growth
Their former teammate Marcus Smart best described this following the Finals loss in 2022: “Every team is programmed and studied to stop Jason and Jaylen. I think everybody’s scouting report is to make those guys pass the ball. They don’t want to pass the ball.” But being so young and expected to win from the get-go wasn’t very realistic. Mistakes and mental letdowns were to be expected as both Tatum and Jaylen Brown were still learning to play with one another and lead their team together. In 2024, they did exactly that. Tatum’s offense became more rational, and his shot selection got better. But what has really blossomed the most is his court awareness. Instead of playing hero ball and playing one-on-one against a set defense, he’s now recognizing how his mere presence creates advantages elsewhere on the floor. It’s not all about scoring; I can be the guy rebounding and getting assists and drawing attention. Maybe you don’t score all the points, but you do all the things that put your guys in the best position to win.
Tatum’s Versatility and Defensive Growth
In the 2024 playoffs, Tatum led the Celtics in passes, and Boston generated four more points per game off his assists than anyone else on the team. JT also became one of the best rebounders at his position and one of the most versatile defenders in the NBA. I think Tatum’s got it all. I mean, to be honest, he gets to the line enough for you. After last year’s playoffs, he surpassed Kevin Durant. Tatum is an invaluable defensive asset for the Celtics because he’s able to switch on any screen, protect the rim as a help defender, and seal off seven-footers when they rush the offensive glass. He doesn’t take plays off and has become better at reading opposing offensive sets before they happen.
Struggles and Missed Shots in the 2024 Finals
While there are still games where we see glimpses of old Tatum, like Game 2 of the 2024 NBA Finals when he shot 6 for 22 from the field, those games are becoming less frequent. Yes, it’s true that Tatum’s shot disappeared during the 2024 playoffs at times and that he’s currently the second-worst shooter in NBA Finals history in terms of field goal percentage. It’s also true that he has always played on stacked teams and that the 2024 Celtics had by far the deepest roster in the NBA, But if you’re focusing on the negative, it’s easy to miss the forest for the trees because Tatum has become so versatile on both ends of the court, and he draws so much attention that his impact outweighs the missed shots. He was still the best player on a team that won the championship despite Jaylen Brown’s greatness. Tatum had the best plus-minus rating of all players in the 2024 playoffs, which clearly indicates how well he played despite his shooting struggles.
Tatum’s Impact on the League and Future Outlook
Uh, myself. The problem with Jason is that he’s operating in a really unique and bizarre cycle. When his shot is falling, Tatum really looks like the best player in the NBA, but then he gets into those stretches when his shot isn’t falling, and people forget about all the other good qualities he has. But in all honesty, Tatum is not the best player in the NBA. He’s up there, arguably top five, and certainly in the top 10, but not the best because he was so good and so successful early on in his career. By now, the fans expected him to become the next LeBron or KD or Kobe. But it’s easy to forget that Tatum is still only 26 years old and that LeBron, KD, and Kobe also didn’t reach their prime at that age. If he manages to get more consistent with his shot, Tatum will remove the last weakness from his game, and the NBA should be scared of that version of Jason Tatum.
Conclusion
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