The conversation about being the face of the league kept making rounds during the Boston Celtics' run at the NBA Playoffs. While he may not have won the two Finals MVP trophies, Jayson Tatum is still largely considered the primary star of Joe Mazzulla's squad. This is despite having Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday, and Derrick White on the squad. He will also get to compete alongside LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant. This is to further solidify himself as one of the Team USA greats in the Olympics.
It takes a lot to follow in the footsteps of the great Celtics players who have come before Jayson Tatum. That challenge got even harder when they won the Larry O'Brien trophy. His name was effectively entered into the face of the NBA conversation. The fact that he was also named the new cover athlete of NBA 2k and even gets to start in the Team USA Olympics squad proves that the expectations are very lofty. However, the Celtics superstar put it upon himself to be the next face of the league, via 7 PM in Brooklyn with Carmelo Anthony.
“There’s a lot of conversations about to be had about who the next face of the league is. Who's the best player? Who’s going to replace LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and those guys? Like, I want to be the next Bron and KD. How do you do that, how do you separate yourself? You win a championship. You win multiple,” Jayson Tatum declared.
Celtics' financial situation around Jayson Tatum
As of the moment, Tatum is locked to stay within Joe Mazzulla and Brad Stevens' care in the Celtics system up until the 2029-2030 season. He just inked a $314 million deal. This keeps him within the team and in striking distance to compete for the championship every year. Jaylen Brown also signed a five-year deal worth $304 million in the previous season. This means that this duo will ravage the league for a long time.
Not to mention, guys like Derrick White, Sam Hauser, and Luke Kornet have already extended their stay with the organization. Jrue Holiday has also signified that he wants the Celtics to be his home until he retires. While the only problem is Al Horford's aging, the Celtics have Kristaps Porzingis, Neemias Queta, and Xavier Tillman to fill in the role that the veteran used to do.
This team was carefully crafted under the new second apron and collective bargaining agreement rules. This is largely why their deals were signed this season. It will be relatively cheaper over time given the influx of money entering the NBA. Supermax deals will no longer just range up to $300 million, the figures could skyrocket to half a billion as time goes by.
So, Tatum's goal of winning more championships to eventually be the face of the league is doable within the Celtics system. He will get to play with guys who know him too well on and off the court. It is a big goal to set but there's nothing much that's going to slow him down. For now, he needs to focus on winning the gold for the USA alongside LeBron James and Kevin Durant.
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