Draymond Green's Strong Jayson Tatum Statement

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Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum is still in pursuit of his first NBA championship, but he has gotten a lot closer than many other stars. Speaking during an alternate broadcast of the All-Star Game, Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green said he believes Tatum's success early in his career has robbed him of some recognition.
"I don't think JT will win his first MVP until he wins his first championship," Green said. "He's almost being punished for having so much success as a team early in his career. Now it's almost like you get on this clock that no one talks about, but you're on this clock. He's lost in the Finals, he's lost in the Eastern Conference Finals, it's like they don't respect him quite like they should. I think it's unfair, because he's been having MVP type years."
Draymond Green talking about Jayson Tatum having the most unfair expectations pic.twitter.com/sdxUWclcqA
— Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod 🇸🇴 (@big_business_) February 19, 2024
With Boston having the best record in basketball, and Tatum putting up dominant numbers, he certainly deserves some MVP consideration. While it's hard to make a case for Tatum over guys like Nikola Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, he should be near the top of the conversation.
For Green, he believes Tatum has been unfairly punished for having so much team success early in his career. Perhaps this will be the season the Celtics are able to break through and win a championship.
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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.
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