Shannon Sharpe and Gilbert Arenas recently came together on the recent episode of Night Cap to discuss on the topics surrounding NBA. During the show, the two experts also talked about how expectations are unreal from Jayson Tatum. The 26-year-old has been considered as ‘the face of the league’, by many, but his ability to win championship still puts a question mark to that.
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The Boston Celtics are undoubtedly one of the best teams in the NBA this season. Amid all this success, Jayson Tatum has emerged as a candidate to represent the next generation of hoopers. ‘The face of the league’ as many call it, should rightfully go to Jayson Tatum. But before that happens, Tatum may need to achieve a milestone or two.
While Gilbert Arenas remined Shannon Sharpe that everyone is expecting more from Tatum when compared to other stars, Sharpe reminded him of few legends of the game. Although, most of them have won an championship by the time they were ‘face of the league’, these days it’s tough for youngsters. However mentioning Magic Johnson, Sharpe said
“We ain’t ever going to see a Magic [ Magic Johnson] again. Ain’t noone coming out of their rookie year and winning finals MVP. That ain’t happening.”
Sharpe was correct in pointing out inconsistencies in maintaining Magic as the benchmark. The 55-year-old would also point out that young players that win championships usually do so, on the back of other generational players.
Mentioning the example of Kobe Bryant, Sharpe would point to Shaq’s dominance as being the supporting force for the same. In the case of Jordan, Sharpe would mention that His Airness was 29 when he won his first championship.
Jayson Tatum has achieved a lot already
Given that LeBron is turning almost 40 this year, and Curry will turn 36 soon, the time for the NBA to change hands has definitely arrived. With the former generation soon departing, the question of ” who is the face of the league” once again appears.
A name that often gets attached to this debate is Jayson Tatum. The Boston forward is only 26 years old. Having already visited the Eastern Conference Finals on four different occasions, Tatum is by far the most battle-tested for his age. The Boston forward also led his team to the NBA Finals during their 2022 run, but would unfortunately get outdone by Curry and the Warriors.
If you ask Tatum, he is ready. The Boston Guard seemed confident when asked about his chances of being the next face of the NBA .Responding to the questions [ with relation to Tatum being the face of the league] Tatum would reveal, per CBS News
” 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.”
With players such as Anthony Edwards, Luka Doncic, Shai-Gilgeious Alexander, Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo still in line, it’s hard to say if Tatum should be crowned the new King of the league. This season is definitely go time for Tatum, as the Boston forward won’t get a better chance to stake his claim on a Championship.
