The Harsh Truth About Jayson Tatum

At his best, Jayson Tatum is one of the best young stars in the NBA. His size and scoring helped him lead the Celtics to the Finals. We all thought he was on a path to superstardom. Then, things came crashing down when it mattered most.

Getting outplayed by Andrew Wiggins isn’t the best formula to becoming a superstar. Today, it’s time for the harsh truth on Jayson Tatum.

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WannabeKobeitus

Everybody has their idols – the people they look up to for one reason or another. I’m not going to sit here and say the Celtics lost the Finals because Jayson Tatum idolizes Kobe Bryant. That would be preposterous. And I’m not going to say that Tatum mimicking Kobe is a bad thing. It’s not. I’m sure all NBA players are like that in some way, and Tatum decides he wants to do it more publicly than others. So be it.

I think we would all do the same thing. If I had even talked to Kobe Bryant, you know damn well I would be wearing a purple and gold elbow sleeve, too. There is literally no problem in Tatum’s relationship with Kobe, and anybody telling you otherwise is kidding themselves.

However, if Tatum really wants to be like Kobe, he should take this piece of advice, one of Kobe’s many great anecdotes;

I don’t want to be Michael Jordan, I want to be Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bryant

Am I saying that Jayson Tatum has to stop idolizing Kobe Bryant? Heavens no. Again, that’s not the problem here. But a few less fadeaway two’s could help, you know. When being like your idol comes at the expense of the success of your team, that’s where we should draw the line.

If Jayson Tatum really wanted to be like Kobe Bryant, he should try and be more like Jayson Tatum.

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Turnovers

The strides that Jayson Tatum made as a playmaker were massive in 2022. At times, it seemed like everything clicked in his head. He was making quicker reads and decisions – turnovers that once made us shake our heads in previous seasons were now gone, for the most part.

Still, Tatum’s playmaking needs more development. Golden State had a chance to study Tatum and break him down. Guys like Lebron or Luka can’t be stopped no matter how much film you watch on them. But Tatum? He was overwhelmed by all the bodies the Warriors sent at him. To take the next step, Tatum will have to watch all of his turnovers from this postseason and find ways to get better. 

If he can do that, it would cut down on his turnovers. The same turnovers that plagued Boston throughout the postseason would be gone. Instead, Tatum could focus more on being one of the best shot creators in the NBA. It’s a win-win-win.

And I’m sure that plenty of memes will be made of Tatum becoming the first player to ever turn the ball over 100 times in a postseason. I get that. But, like all failures in life, it’s only an opportunity for Tatum to get better.

Next year, if this offseason goes according to plan, Tatum will cut down on the boneheaded passes. He’ll get better at dealing with double teams and passing out of the post. The games where you say, ‘wow, he’s really sharing the rock and reading the defenses,’ will increase. 

But come on, you can’t tell me that this isn’t funny;

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Demeanor

Another thing Bill Simmons discussed in his nearly hour long funeral for the Celtics season was Tatum’s demeanor. Now, as an outsider, I cannot tell you Jayson Tatum’s demeanor on a day-to-day basis. Nor can any fan. What I’m about to say is complete and total hearsay. I think that covers my ass.

In any event, Tatum looked out of it, according to Simmons. He wasn’t engaged on the bench and nobody talked to him. If that’s true, then that’s probably the worst thing I’ve talked about so far. Worse than the turnovers and certainly worse than the WannabeKobeitus. (If there were ever a disease to contract, that would be it).

Again, I’m taking the word of Bill Simmons here, which isn’t the smartest thing to do. But, it goes in line with his struggles. And, as a teenager myself, feeling mopey solves absolutely nothing. As soon as you let your play affect the people around you, you’re screwed.

This is all in line with Tatum’s maturity. He’s still only 24 years old and still has a long ways to go. However, I was a little disappointed to hear this. I mean, I know you’re playing bad, but completely zoning out on everybody else? I don’t know about all of that.

The Celtics have had numerous locker rooms issues over the years. But, Tatum is pretty mild-mannered and reserved. I thought he would be the one rah-rahing, trying to get the troops in spirit. Instead, it was Grant Williams. You see where I’m going with this?

Another thing Kobe had to learn after Shaq left was how to be a leader. I consider this (alleged) ordeal to be part of Tatum’s learning curve.

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What We Learned

What did we learn? Well, for starters, I think we just learned how divisive one player can be. Some view Tatum’s postseason as a success while others view it as a failure. I’m somewhere in the middle, but let’s go back to the title. Now, does the “Harsh Truth About Jayson Tatum,” sound, well, harsh? Yes.

But, I think this is the harsh truth about Jayson Tatum that everybody should be repeating;

There Is No Harsh Truth!

Not every player is Michael Jordan – a player who goes 6-0 in the Finals and have zero blemishes when it matters most. So, Jayson Tatum coming up short will forever be a stain on his career. So be it. I have no doubts that this will be the best thing for him.

Tatum’s idol, Kobe Bryant, had to go down a similar path. And guess what? He’s one of the greatest players to ever walk the planet. The harsh truth about Jayson Tatum is that maybe there is no harsh truth. Maybe this is just the beginning. The beginning of a long, successful career – fueled by this setback.

Draymond rightfully said that this Celtics team would be back in the Finals in the coming seasons. You get the sense that he’s saying that because he knows Jayson Tatum is on the other side.

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