The Boston Celtics‘ Jayson Tatum has become one of the best players in the NBA over the last few years, but there is some debate about where he ranks on the list of the best superstars in the game.
Many feel that Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks should rank above him, and Doncic is already being talked about as a leading candidate for this season’s regular-season MVP award.
But ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith thinks Tatum is not only better than Doncic, he also picked Tatum as his best NBA player who is 25 years of age or younger, via the “Club Shay Shay” podcast.
Stephen A. Smith picks Jayson Tatum over Luka Dončić, do you agree?@StephenASmith chooses #JayTatum0 as the best player under 25 in the NBA over @luka7doncic, @TheTraeYoung, Zion Williamson, @theantedwards_ , @MELOD1P, @shaiglalex, @swipathefox, and others. pic.twitter.com/Ug8YPfvk6b
— Club Shay Shay (@ClubShayShay) September 4, 2023
Smith’s reasoning is that Tatum is a better 3-point shooter, has consistently been in better shape than Doncic, and has had some big playoff performances.
However, the other side of the argument is the fact that Doncic is a significantly better facilitator, passer, and ball-handler than Tatum, who is mainly a closer and not really a creator.
In addition, Tatum has a checkered history in big playoff games.
He dropped 51 points in Game 7 of this past season’s Eastern Conference semifinals versus the Philadelphia 76ers, but in Game 7 of the following round against the Miami Heat, he scored just 14 points on 5-of-13 shooting.
The previous season, he played poorly in the NBA Finals as the Celtics lost in six games to the Golden State Warriors.
This season, Tatum will have a different supporting cast around him, as Marcus Smart is out and the skilled but injury-prone Kristaps Porzingis is now wearing the green and white.
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