Ahead of the new season, every player will look to help their team win a title, but achieving individual accolades is also something that they will set their eyes on. According to Antonio Daniels, Jayson Tatum should forego the thought of winning individual accolades like winning MVPs and recording 30+ points per game. Instead, the 6ft 8” forward should solely have his goals set at defending the Boston Celtics’ championship.
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The Spurs legend claimed that JT, a constant top-10 player in the league, would always be in MVP conversations. However, he believes that the 26-year-old should divert all his focus on defending the championship, dubbing a second title as the “most important thing”.
“… I feel like it’s always a conversation that he’s going to be in… But if I’m Jayson Tatum, I care less about averaging 30 points a game. I need to do what my team needs me to do to help put them back in the championship conversation again. My goal is to repeat, not to win MVP, but simply to repeat as champions. I think that should be the most important thing.”
“If I’m Jayson Tatum…I need to do what my team needs me to do to help put them back in the championship conversation again”
@adaniels33 explains why Tatum should have one thing on his mind this season #DifferentHere pic.twitter.com/bcAnbqUwkI
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) September 24, 2024
Tatum though is going to have all individual accolades in his vision for the 2024-2025 season. Despite having a successful past few months – winning the title and the gold medal in the 2024 Olympics – the former Duke Blue Devil was constantly criticized for not winning the Finals MVP and being benched for the entirety of two games in Paris.
Many expect the upcoming campaign to be a revenge season for Tatum so that he can silence all his doubters. To prove his worth, winning an MVP trophy is of the utmost importance, accompanied by All-Star and All-NBA Team selections.
While personalities like Daniels hope for Tatum to concentrate on lifting the Larry O’Brien Trophy, the five-time All-Star’s comments from the media day suggest that he’ll aim to make a run at the Michael Jordan Trophy as well.
“As accomplished as I am, I just always feel like, overall I could still get better… You haven’t seen the best version of Jayson Tatum,” the Celtics superstar boldly declared.
Jayson Tatum sends a message to Boston Celtics fans & his haters:
“You haven’t seen the best version of Jayson Tatum.”
Tatum was 6th in MVP voting in 2023-24, where he averaged 26.9 PPG, 8.1 RPG, & 4.9 APG on 47 FG% & 38 3P%!
How much better can Tatum get? ☘️ pic.twitter.com/rHjp9N2l1M
— Courtside Buzz (@CourtsideBuzzX) September 24, 2024
JT has finished top six in the MVP voting in each of the last three years. However, he seems to be hungrier than ever before. This is exactly why it won’t come off as a shock if Tatum goes on a scoring outburst regularly and gives players of the likes of Nikola Jokić and Luka Doncic a tough competition for the prestigious individual award.
