Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum has high expectations, and it's no secret. From NBA pundits saying he needs a ring to be a true MVP to Celtics fans hoping he'll be the next face of the league, a lot is asked of him. Future Hall of Famer and rival Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James even agrees.
James, who's now 39 and has plenty of basketball experience under his belt, discussed the expectations around Tatum on his new podcast with former NBA sharp-shooter JJ Reddick, via the Mind the Game.
“We look at Tatum and he's 25 years old, he's 25 years old and I believe he's been to the Conference Finals four times. Been to, obviously, the NBA Finals once. He's 25. I didn't win my first one until I was 28,” James said. “We have a lot of expectations on JT, but he’s experienced a lot of winning in his career so far. Everyone wants to see him get over the hump but four Conference Finals and a Finals appearance before the age of 26 is elite.”
Lebron James had some high praise for Jayson Tatum on the new @mindthegamepod
“We have a lot of expectations on JT. He’s experienced a lot of winning in his career so far. Four conference finals before the age of 26 is elite.” pic.twitter.com/sD3blKKHQZ
— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) March 19, 2024
Tatum turned 26 earlier this March and already has five All-Star appearances, two All-NBA First Team nods, and several other accolades to his name. Of course, leading the Celtics to their first championship in over 15 years would be his greatest accomplishment, as Boston has gotten close recently but not “over the hump,” as James said.
Winning a title isn't easy though, and James acknowledged that. LeBron didn't get it done until he was 27 and he specifically mentioned that Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan didn't win it all until he was 28.
Yet, if there's a season for Tatum and company to make it happen, it's this year. The C's are 54-14 overall and have already clinched a spot in the 2024 playoffs. Other NBA champions like Kevin Durant and Draymond Green have also given him props and talked about how good the Celtics have been with him at the helm.
Draymond Green doubles down on his support of Jayson Tatum.
Said the “goal posts were moved” for him in ways they weren’t for Jokic, Embiid, and other former MVPs. Also mentioned that the 2022 Finals are held against him unfairly.
(Via @Money23Green and @TheVolumeSports) pic.twitter.com/1lfw0E8fvM
— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) February 26, 2024
The only thing left for Tatum and the C's to do is to block out all the noise and play like they have all season. That's easier said than done, but Boston is capable—and it never hurts to have the vote of confidence from someone like LeBron James.
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