While it might seem to some that the sudden surge of discourse around star Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum being snubbed due to the strengths of his teammates and mistakes in the 2022 NBA Finals, he has at least one prominent critic in his corner in Draymond Green. And regarding his shortcomings on the league’s biggest stage, few can offer a more intimate perspective on Tatum’s play in that finals series than the Golden State Warriors big man.
“The Celtics are 7.5 games ahead of the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference,” said Green on a recent episode of his eponymous “Draymond Green Show” that saw the Dubs forward take a closer look at Tatum’s case for MVP.
“Do people think the Celtics are that great to where Jayson Tatum is only in fifth?” he asked. “Sometimes it’s like, that team is winning, and that guy is the best player and playing well.”
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“In this situation, clearly that’s not the goalpost,” opined Green. “Clearly the goalposts have shifted dramatically, because in this guy’s case, he’s fifth? And they have a 7.5-game lead in the conference?”
“The goalposts have moved on Jayson Tatum,” claimed the Warriors big man. “I know what JT has to do. JT will not be taken seriously for MVP until he wins a championship, and it just hasn’t been that way for everybody else.”
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