Celtics Player's Big Statement on Jayson Tatum vs. Jalen Brunson

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Xavier Tillman was traded from the Memphis Grizzlies to the Boston Celtics at this year's trade deadline, and is already pushing Jayson Tatum for MVP. Believing that what Tatum is doing on both ends, along with Boston's record, should put him in the MVP discussion, Tillman addressed this on a recent episode of Gil's Arena.
"I thought at first [Jayson Tatum] was just a scorer, until I realized his defensive, passing, and rebounding ability," Tillman said. "... We went to New York and he had a couple chances to guard Jalen Brunson, and he was locking him up. Staying in front of him, moving his feet, showing his hands. He definitely needs to be in that discussion. Not to mention, we're No. 1 in the league."
"We went to New York and [Jayson Tatum] had a couple chances to guard Jalen Brunson and he was lockin' him up...Stayin' in front of him, movin' his feet, showin' his hands. He definitely needs to be in that discussion. Not to mention, we're #1 in the league."
— Gilbert Arenas (@GilsArenaShow) February 28, 2024
Celtic's Xavier… pic.twitter.com/IJmF6kDtmp
Gilbert Arenas, another former Memphis Grizzlies player, is the host of this show, and brought Tillman on to speak about his experience after being traded. While Tillman has a lot of love for the Grizzlies, having only played for them prior to this trade, he also seems to be loving life on the Celtics as well.
Boston is the championship favorites most places, which is certainly warranted when looking at how well they have played this season. While Tatum has not gotten much MVP consideration, Tillman believes he should be in the discussion, especially because of what he can do defensively - like what Tillman mentioned against Brunson.
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Joey Linn is a credentialed writer covering the NBA and WNBA for On SI. Covering the LA Clippers independently in 2018, then for Fansided and 213Hoops from 2019-2021, Joey joined On SI to cover the Clippers after the 2020-21 season. Graduating from Biola University in 2022 with a Communication Studies degree, Joey served as Biola's play-by-play announcer for their basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. Joey's work on Biola's broadcasts and in the classroom earned him the Outstanding Communication Studies Student of the year award in 2022. Joey covers the NBA full-time, primarily serving as a Clippers beat writer.