Jayson Tatum has been one of the best players in the NBA since 2020. Apart from Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic, and Luka Doncic, he is the only player to secure three All-NBA First team selections in the last five years. However, unlike those players, the Boston Celtics star is yet to win an NBA MVP award or even come close to winning one for that matter.
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As per ESPN analyst Zach Lowe, Tatum may just retire without a League MVP award. On his Lowe podcast, the NBA insider revealed that Kendrick Perkins called him and inquired how Tatum’s legacy will be perceived if he never wins an MVP award.
Lowe admitted that usually players who are considered Top-20 all-time have the MVP award in their cabinet. However, the ESPN analyst reflected upon the question deeply and concluded that the Celtics Wing may never win the award because of the brand of basketball he plays.
“It’s probably much more likely than not that Jayson Tatum never wins the MVP, that’s the most likely scenario for his career. He was already the best player on the best team [last season] and finished sixth.”
“He [Tatum] just doesn’t put up the same kind of numbers as Jokic, Embiid, SGA, Giannis, and add probably a couple guys to that list that are coming. It’s not just raw counting stats, he wasn’t as efficient as those guys from the field last year and he doesn’t create as many assists for his teammates as some of those guys,” he added.
Lowe then pointed out that Tatum checks the box on certain aspects, like defense. But that is usually not at the top of the list for MVP consideration. Therefore, JT will need a ‘perfect storm’ to grab an MVP.
Lowe claimed that if the Celtics can replicate the success of their 2023-24 campaign (where they had the league-best 64-18 record) and Tatum can take his production to almost match the frontrunners in the race, then he might have a shot.
However, since he doesn’t put near triple-double numbers like Nikola Jokic or massive scoring and rebounding stats like Embiid, his output is mostly overlooked.
During the 2023-24 campaign, Tatum put up 27.6 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game. Meanwhile, Jokic tallied 26.4 points, 12.4 rebounds, and 9 assists per game. On the other hand, Embiid collected 34.7 points, 11 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game (he played fewer games).
According to Lowe, unless Tatum posts similar numbers, he may never have a chance to win the award. Apart from that, his inefficiency and inferior assist numbers have also curbed his path for the honor.
At any rate, JT is still fancying his chances to win the award.
Jayson Tatum has the MVP award on his bucket list for the 2024-25 season
Tatum has already fulfilled his dream to be an NBA champion. However, he still feels that an MVP award is what’s missing on his resume.
During an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon a couple of days ago, he made some bold predictions about the 2024-25 season. When he was asked who’d win the MVP award next season, he had replied,
“Can I say myself?”
It’s true that not having an MVP award has undermined Tatum’s contribution to the Celtics substantially. As Lowe also pointed out, he has not been considered as a frontrunner for the award because he plays for the deepest team in the league.
However, at the same time, it is his commitment to defense and willingness to share the ball, that has made the Celtics a championship-level squad. Whether he wins the Regular Season MVP or not, he has already left a deep imprint as an NBA champion.
