Following their 2024 championship win, Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics hosted media day on Tuesday, marking the first official start of the next NBA season. Tatum, who signed the richest contract in league history and helped Team USA win gold at the Olympics, has had a busy summer. This season, he hopes to lead the Celtics to a second consecutive title.
Even after winning the NBA Finals, the Celtics could not avoid media attention despite having one of the most dominant postseason runs in recent NBA history. Many had hoped that Jaylen Brown’s MVP award would create a gulf between him and Tatum, who is regarded as Boston’s best player.
Tatum himself is one individual who does not subscribe to that idea, according to Jared Greenberg (via ClutchPoints on X, formerly Twitter).
It was simply not my moment. While Steph Curry has only one ring, he has four. Larry Bird didn’t always win Finals MVP, Isiah Thomas. Personally, I was pleased for [Jaylen Brown]… Tatum remarked, “I’m confident that I’ll win Finals MVP someday.
While Brown had a far more reliable offensive series and also did a good job of defending Dallas Mavericks player Luka Doncic throughout the series, Tatum mostly struggled through the first few games of the Finals until turning it on in Games 3 and 5.
Is it really that important? would be a more pertinent inquiry. Tatum and Brown demonstrated that they are unquestionably talented enough to co-anchor a winning team, particularly when they are supported by an All-Star group, as they did both last year and this year.
Given the option between Tatum and Brown, most clubs would probably choose to construct their roster around Tatum because of his stature and versatility.