Stephen A. Smith Says Jimmy Butler Has More to Prove than Jayson Tatum
The Eastern Conference Finals begin Tuesday with the Miami Heat facing off against the Boston Celtics. Analysts are starting to make their predictions regarding players and teams.
All-Stars Jayson Tatum and Jimmy Butler have been the face of the Celtics and Heat throughout the postseason. The pressure is going to be on the stars, as they attempt to advance to the NBA Finals. When asked about which player has more to prove, ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith says it's Butler.
“Jimmy Butler’s 32, while Jayson Tatum’s about eight years younger,” Smith said. “When I look at Jayson Tatum, you’ve already been to like three or four Conference Finals, and you’re 24 years old. You got time on your side. Time’s running out on Jimmy Butler. You don’t get this many opportunities.”
This may be hard for Heat fans to hear, but Smith is right about Butler’s age being a factor. Butler is reaching the later stage of his career, and it is unknown how many years of solid play he has left. The Heat have a golden opportunity to capitalize as a top-seeded team with Butler playing at this high level. Meanwhile, Tatum will have many years to compete for the Finals and be a star player.
However, while Smith may be right about the opportunities down the stretch, Tatum right now has more to prove than Butler. This will be Tatum’s third Eastern Finals appearance, and if he loses, he will be 0-3.
Butler has already been to the Finals and has proven that he can lead a team. Tatum has had an impressive young career, but has not been able to go the distance despite the talent around him.
And while Tatum will certainly have more opportunities, that doesn’t guarantee that he will make the big game.
Jayden Armant is a contributor to Inside The Heat. He is a student at Howard University. He can be reached at jayden.armant@bison.howard.edu or follow him on Twitter @jaydenarmant.
