The five-time NBA All-Star and power forward of the Boston Celtics, Jayson Tatum, was picked up by the Celtics in the 2017 NBA Draft. He was selected in the first round as the third overall pick.
In 2022, he was named the NBA Eastern Conference Finals MVP and was one of the fundamental players who helped the squad reach the NBA Finals. The 25-year-old, soon to be 26, also won a gold medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Tatum has played in a total of 491 regular season games and has also participated in ninety-four playoff matchups. When considering the conference finals, he had made four appearances. Tatum’s rising career in the illustrious league has seen him make prominent feats.
Hence, his achievements at such an age are one of the factors that indicate that he might later become one of the top talents in the league. Considering his achievements, Tatum was questioned during the All-Star Game weekend about whether he sees himself as the “face” of the prominent league after present icons such as Kevin Durant, LeBron James, and Stephen Curry depart.
Tatum knows what he has to do 👀💍
(via @JaredWeissNBA, @TheAthletic) pic.twitter.com/ngPeBoKcaT
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 21, 2024
Tatum was confident in his reply, as he stated, “Absolutely”. The All-NBA First Team also outlined the steps that he intends to follow in order to achieve his next big step. He also complimented the league for featuring prominent players and showcasing their skills.
Tatum shared via The Athletic, “But yeah, when LeBron retires, the face of the league … that’s tough. But, we win a championship, I got something to say about it. I know that. I feel like it’s mine to take. I do feel like, if we win a championship, it would be more distinguished and clear. But I understand I’m in that short list for sure.”
However, Tatum has won multiple accolades in his short career but also knows that the community wants the one trophy that is most prized and the fans always look forward to that.
Regarding this, Tatum stated, “I understand that, no matter what I do in the regular season, I’m at that point where people just judge me off whether I can win a championship. I realize that, and it’s like, all right, I just gotta do it.”
The Boston Celtics impressively occupy the first position in the Eastern Conference and for the season, the squad is 43-12. In the last game before the break, they defeated the Brooklyn Nets with a concluding score of 136-86.
