With Joel Embiid no longer eligible for NBA MVP, Boston Celtics players, media, and fans have started a campaign to get Jayson Tatum the award.
They have a solid argument in the sense that he’s the undisputed best player on the best team in the league, at least record-wise.
He might not have the most impressive numbers in the league, but that’s because his team is so stacked that they just don’t need him to score 30+ anymore.
Notably, that’s why Kristaps Porzingis believes he deserves a lot more credit than he gets, as he knows he’s capable of going off and scoring 30+ whenever he wants, but he’s taken a somewhat lesser role for the sake of the team (Via Mike Scotto and NBA Central).
“JT, he deserves a lot of credit because he can say F it. I want to score 30 every night. I want to get MVP. But he’s not doing that. I think people are overlooking that. You have to give him credit,” Porzingis said.
“JT, he deserves a lot of credit because he can say F it. I want to score 30 every night. I want to get MVP. But he’s not doing that. I think people are overlooking that. You have to give him credit.”
– Kristaps Porzingis on Jayson Tatum
(Via @MikeAScotto ) pic.twitter.com/NYDQFF51PO
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) February 25, 2024
That sounds nice and all, but he shouldn’t get extra credit for doing what he has to do.
There’s no denying that Tatum is a special player; he’s one of the best in the league.
Then again, he might not be the most impactful in the game.
The Dallas Mavericks, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Minnesota Timberwolves would crumble without Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, or Anthony Edwards, and let’s not even talk about Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets.
The Celtics, on the other hand, would still be able to compete at a high level sans Tatum because of how stacked they are.
Whatever the case, there are as many criteria to vote for MVP as vote-getters, and while Tatum would be a solid choice, he still might not get the nod, it doesn’t matter how much noise he and his team make.
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