This season has been a mixed bag for the Boston Celtics. They traded away Kyrie Irving, received a huge haul of assets for that, and are still in the playoff hunt despite the fact that they traded away their best player. They have also sat four of their top five players in a row and even though they’ve been playing with a makeshift roster, they have somehow proven their mettle and clawed their way back into the game.
Now, they sit at the bottom of the standings with a record of 17-37. Despite all of this, this is far from their first extended period of struggles. Even this current stretch is a mere blip for the Celtics. In the past 15 years, they have only had an extended period
On October 24th, the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Toronto Raptors 129-120 in Game 7 to make it to the NBA Eastern Conference Finals. This is a huge victory for Cleveland as they lead the series 3-2, but some fans were upset that the Cavaliers decided to rest their starters and play Luke Walton’s bench unit in Game 7. This was especially noticeable because Luka Doncic didn’t play in the series. In fact, after being selected first overall in the 2018 NBA Draft, Doncic hasn’t suited up for the Dallas Mavericks yet this season.
Although the Boston Celtics suffered a 3-1 defeat against the Brooklyn Nets in their best-of-seven playoff series, it’s not Jason Tatum’s fault. Tatum helped keep the Celtics afloat while taking his game to the next level. He has already crossed the 50-point mark four times since April. He gave up 40 shots in Sunday’s loss. He is becoming one of the NBA’s young superstars, rivaling Dallas phenom Luka Doncic in terms of complaints.
Jason Tatum has become the captain of the Boston Celtics
Luka Doncic #77 of the Dallas Mavericks defends against Jason Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics at TD Garden on the 31st. March 2024 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) He’s only 23, but Tatum solidified his status as the Celtics’ young leader in his fourth NBA season. The two-time NBA All-Star carries the team now that the other All-Star, Jaylen Brown, is out for the season with a wrist injury. Tatum was the third pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.
The Celtics actually had the first pick this year, but they made a deal with the Philadelphia 76ers and got the third pick and future first pick in return. Tatum has proven to be much better than Markell Fultz, the best player selected in the draft. Tatum’s performance has improved dramatically during his four-year professional career. As a rookie, he averaged 13.9 points per game. He averaged 15.7 points in his second season. In his last two seasons, both of which were All-Star years, he averaged 23.4 and 26.4 points, respectively.
With a star comes an ego
Tatum is considered a very quiet leader. It is addressed to the assembly – and to the officials. Selfie or not, Tatum’s complaint has been popping up more and more lately. Many stars have egos like that. Most complain of unexplained shots when driving to the basket. Luka Doncic is a young player, just like Tatum, who also has a habit of raising his hands after shooting the ball. LeBron James may be the biggest problem of all, but he’s at the level of established star that Doncic and Tatum seem to have.
Tatum’s displeasure with the lack of callbacks has not gone unnoticed. At The Athletic’s playoff preview last year, writer Joe Vardon said it would happen during the 2024 season. Jason Tatum is tired of the officials not exactly supporting him and complains about it on the bench and in the makeshift locker room, writes Vardon. Tatum is not your typical guy who takes the ball to the hoop, but if he does, make sure he whispers in the official’s ear when he gets back on the field.
Jason Tatum lives up to Luka Doncic’s complaints
. In last year’s playoffs, Doncic’s recovery skills came into full play. That has continued this year, with the Dallas Mavericks star even saying he needs to slow down. He described his situation early last month. It’s been a long season, with the officials, I wasn’t myself this season, Doncic said, according to CBS Sports.
I complain too much and I need to work on that. I just have to stay calm and not talk to them. I need to learn a lesson from this. Like Tatum, Doncic is one of football’s young stars. He knows he has a bright future in the league and understands that complaining won’t help him. Tatum needs to take a cue from Doncic and get himself under control before he gets labeled as a constant tic-tac.
COMPARED TO: Is Luka Doncic a chronic complainer or just a great competitor?
