Jayson Tatum has been one of the NBA’s biggest superstars for the last few years. But he hasn’t featured in the league MVP conversations despite the Boston Celtics being a dominant team for the past two seasons. Gilbert Arenas presented a theory as to why this has been the case.
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The 42-year-old thinks that Tatum is just too boring for the modern NBA. His straightforward solution to Tatum’s MVP candidacy was also simple – get flashier to receive more attention.
On Gil’s Arena, the Washington Wizards legend claimed that, basketball-wise, there was not much for Tatum to change. However, he needed to add a certain flair to his game to entice fans, particularly voters.
“There’s nothing Jayson Tatum can do (to get more love for MVP). He literally has to do stuff that has nothing to do with the game. Like on a fastbreak, throw it between his legs. Like do something that is just two points, but it looks great… He’s boring,” Arenas boldly claimed.
Jayson Tatum can’t get more MVP love because of how he plays the game ️ pic.twitter.com/gvbghEzihR
— Gilbert Arenas (@GilsArenaShow) December 5, 2024
The three-time All-Star used examples of players such as Giannis Antetokounmpo, Ja Morant, and LaMelo Ball as the players who entice viewers with their dazzling highlight reels to gain more noise than they actually deserve. On the other hand, JT does his job on the court, but not many of his plays go viral like a Ja Morant 360 layup or a Luka Doncic buzzer-beater three.
Arenas suggested that Tatum could have a better shot at winning the prestigious Michael Jordan Trophy if he embraced the quality of being a box office player.
In all fairness, Flashiness doesn’t have as big a say in the MVP race as Arenas claims it to be. Nikola Jokic is a prominent example that “boring” players are treated fairly by the voters. The Joker has won three of the past four MVPs without being flashy or having wild highlight reels or viral moments.
A few aspects of his game such as certain passes, the “sombor shuffle”, and the occasional high-arching three-pointers are entertaining. But otherwise, not many basketball enthusiasts would consider his game to be breathtaking.
Moreover, Arenas’ logic is also flawed because he is probably probably confusing All-Star voting with MVP voting. Fans only have the capability to vote for All-Star picks, the MVP is decided by veteran members of the media who cover the game for a living. They would know better than to fall for some crazy highlight reel than the body of work of a player.
The Boston Celtics star will not be required to perform in any manner other than his natural game. If he sustains the current production level, JT will continue to be a frontrunner to win his first-ever MVP.
Tatum is 2nd on the MVP ladder
Jayson Tatum isn’t averaging career-highs in any other major stat apart from assists (5.6). However, his 28.4 points and 8.6 rebounds per game are of huge impact for the Celtics.
This season, the likes of Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday, and Derrick White have had a noticeable dip in their performance. Whereas, Kristaps Porzingis has been sidelined for a large part of the season due to injuries. Despite being in a challenging period, due to Tatum’s brilliance, Joe Mazzulla’s boys have the second-best record in the league.
This season as well, the MVP race is as competitive as it gets. Jokic is undeniably the best player in the league averaging a triple-double – 30.1 points, 13 rebounds, and 10.4 assists per game. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is also averaging almost 30 points and 6.5 assists per game while leading his side to the best record in the Western Conference. Whereas, Anthony Davis and Giannis Antetokounmpo are having outstanding individual campaigns, but their teams are struggling.
Tatum is currently second on the MVP ladder and he has won the Eastern Conference Player of the Month for October/November. Surpassing the 30-points-per-game mark could make him nearly impossible for voters to ignore.
