The Boston Celtics made some amazing roster additions last offseason, which ultimately led to the Celtics easily winning the 2024 NBA Championship. Even among the star-studded roster, Jayson Tatum is considered the hands-down best player on the team.
But apart from Tatum, the Celtics currently have Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, and Derrick White on the roster, too. In a way, this allowed Tatum to somewhat take a backseat during the 2024 playoffs while his teammates did their job.
Philadelphia 76ers superstar Joel Embiid recently took a subtle dig at Tatum for having the convenience of having a super team. Embiid claimed that if he had poor shooting nights, the 76ers would get blown out rather than end up on the winning side.
"He's got a superteam. If I had a superteam I would win too. If I go 5-20, we get blown out. Embiid said.
Tatum’s shooting struggles
There is no doubt that JT is one of the most talented basketball players in the league right now. However, Tatum was a shell of himself during the Celtics’ 2024 NBA Championship run. Sure, he averaged a solid 25.0 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per game in the postseason. However, he shot just 42.7% from the field and 28.3% from the 3-point line in the playoffs.
In fact, the 5x NBA All-Star’s poor shooting almost cost the Celtics the 2024 NBA title if it weren’t for his teammate stepping up. Tatum had a below 45 FG% in four out of the five NBA Finals games against the Dallas Mavericks.
On the other hand, Tatum couldn’t maintain 30 FG3% in three out of the five games. All things considered, it was a forgettable series for Tatum. JT’s struggles were imminent as his teammate Jaylen Brown was named the 2024 NBA Finals MVP despite being the second option on the team throughout his career.
2025 could be Embiid’s year
The 76ers have remained a perennial NBA playoff team during Embiid’s era. However, at the same time, Philly has struggled to make a deep run in the postseason. This has led to a blemish on Emiid’s resume. He is considered one of the best regular-season performers of all time, but when it comes to the playoffs, he has yet to leave his mark.
Fortunately, the 76ers have seemingly added enough pieces around their star center to potentially make an NBA Championship push in the 2024-25 season. Most notably, former Los Angeles Clippers superstar Paul George has joined forces with Embiid in hopes of lifting the illustrious Larry O’Brien trophy.
Related: Joel Embiid believes he would've been in the GOAT conversation if he stayed healthy: "I think I'm that talented"
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