Jayson Tatum is one of the NBA's elite, starring for the Boston Celtics with all the traits of a true superstar. Yet, despite showing few flaws, he has often become a target for criticism.
As one of the assistant coaches of the Celtics, Sam Cassell has a unique perspective on the team. The former three-time champion sees the criticism of Tatum in the media and finds it bizarre. Considering Sam watches JT and his teammates daily, his opinion matters in the discourse surrounding the five-time NBA All-Star.
“He doesn’t get the credit I think he should get because he’s sacrificed so much. He averaged 30 points last year, then averaged 31 points the next year,” Cassell said on The Draymond Green Show. “For us to win a championship, we added Porzingis, Jrue Holiday, so we added better offensive players for our ball club. He sacrificed so much, he gave up five points, which is a lot of points. That’s eight shots, he gave it up for the betterment of our ball club.”
Tatum is an unselfish superstar
Despite being one of the top five players in the league, Tatum knew that winning a championship was the priority. He could take fewer shots, so his teammates could find their rhythm. That way, he became a more efficient scorer but learned to play better within a more well-rounded team.
JT was already familiar with playing with another star in his long-time running mate Jaylen Brown, but having players like Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday was a different story.
The Celtics finally won their long-awaited 18th championship in 2024, but JB won the Eastern Conference Finals and Finals MVP awards. This became a bizarre talking point in the media, even though everyone in the organization was happy with anyone winning those awards, especially Brown, who shared them with Tatum .
“It was a full team effort, I share this with my brothers and my partner in crime Jayson Tatum, he was with me the whole way so we share this s**t together,” Brown said after he received his Finals MVP trophy.
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Tatum deserves more praise as a superstar
Cassell makes a great point about how Tatum has been superb for the Celtics. He could get more statistics but chose to play for the team and be a good teammate. However, he is still a magnificent talent who can carry Boston when things get ugly.
The C's assistant coach finds it hard to comprehend the criticism aimed at Tatum, given his superstar status. Fortunately, Tatum's championship win in 2024 could help elevate his reputation. With Boston positioned for continued success, he has even more chances to solidify his legacy in the future.
“The thing people don’t understand about Jayson Tatum is that he wants to win, he’s not a Rah Rah guy who shows a lot of emotions. But when he shows emotions, I love it,” Cassell continued. “He’s been great to me, great to Joe, he’s our leader, he’s the guy in Game Two of the Finals and picked Dallas apart even though Jrue was our top scorer.”
His impact gets understated by most media members, which frustrates Cassell. However, all that matters to them is they are winning games and continue to compete for championships with JT as the star man.
Related: "It was the lowest moment in my career" – Tatum on losing the 2022 NBA Finals against the Warriors
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