Will Tatum Get Respect If The Celtics Win?
Thankfully, basketball has returned. We can now get away from some (notice we wrote SOME) of the ridiculous narratives that have surrounded Jayson Tatum and the Celtics over the last several weeks. We’ve discussed some of those narratives in the past.
It’s time to move on. The Celtics moved on with an impressive Game 1 win at home, dominant through the majority. Hopefully Tatum moves on from a less-than-ideal individual performance after shooting 6-16 from the floor and turning the ball over SIX times.
But, here’s our question: IF the Celtics win the title and Tatum plays “reasonably well,” will the media move on? Will they move on to what the title means for Tatum, the team, both right now and the big picture? Will they finally respect Tatum and talk about him like what he would be - one of the best players in the world, who led a dominant season that resulted in a championship?
No matter what “they” say, the one thing about Tatum that has to be appreciated is that he has continued to grow his game and has backed that up with production on the floor, including during the postseason.
Don’t believe us? Let’s get into some of the numbers.
Tatum has played a total of 109 playoff games. In 22 out of those 109 games, he’s finished with at least 25 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists. But, what’s truly impressive is that Tatum has reached those numbers in FIFTEEN of his last 34 playoff games. Think about that. Since the beginning of last year’s postseason, Tatum is giving you 25-10-5 almost every other game (2.2 games to be exact).
Put that in perspective: Over his first 75 playoff games, Tatum reached 25-10-5 seven times and has more than doubled that number in well less than half the games since. Color us impressed!
What those numbers tell us is that Tatum has stepped up since losing in the 2022 Finals to the Warriors. His level of play and production has improved. And, since that Finals loss, Tatum and the Celtics have a combined 24-11 record. Is that good?
If winning a championship this year isn’t enough, then what is? We hope that, IF the C’s win it all, the narrative won’t be framed as “Of course they won, look at the path!” Or, “Tatum’s good, but look at the team they needed to assemble for him to win!”
Were those same narratives applied to the Nuggets last year? If so, we must have missed it.
The C’s would have finished up a historical season with Banner 18. And, as long as Tatum continues to produce the way he has through the Eastern Conference playoff run, he will have been the best player on the best team. We hope that is not only acknowledged, but embraced.
Well, at least until the media starts to push that Tatum needs to win multiple titles to REALLY prove to basketball fans that he’s truly worthy of being treated as a top-3 player in the world.
If so, who cares? All that matters is wins and success. And, if the C’s can finish the deal, there will be no denying that this team won a lot and reached the ultimate pinnacle of a season.
Judon Watch
Matthew Judon has been a no-show for OTAs. That should not be a surprise. We should have all expected a vet close to turning thirty-two and walking into the final year of his contract wouldn’t be leaping at the opportunity to voluntarily run around.
However, next week is different. Next week is mandatory minicamp. Judon has gone on the record saying that he will be at Gillette. The question is, how exactly will Judon and the Patriots handle his…Um, “situation?”
Aside from a post that could have been taken a certain way, Judon’s mostly been quiet. When Judon has spoken, it’s clear he’d like to get paid. Wouldn’t we all? His production, when healthy, justifies him getting an extension. But, he’s also in his 30’s and returning from a biceps tear. That would justify the Patriots being hesitant in forking over an extension worth tens of millions of dollars.
We also shouldn’t overlook the state of edge on this roster. Judon is the only three-down DE who consistently makes impact plays on the quarterback. If you subtract him from the equation, the ability to pressure, hit, and/or sack the quarterback takes a major step back. And, outside of the hope that Keion White develops into that type of edge, there’s no young up-and-coming pass rusher set to be on the 53-man roster.
Therefore, the position’s short-term and long-term health will be directly impacted by how the team handles Judon moving forward.
Reporters are expected and will do their job next week. If Judon is made available, they will ask him about his status. They will ask the team about trying to get a deal done. Will Judon come out and apply pressure on Eliot Wolf? Will Jerod Mayo, when asked about Judon’s future, masterfully tap dance or trip over his feet? We’ll have to wait and see.
Devers Keeps Trucking
After beating down the horrific White Sox on Thursday night, the Red Sox continue to hover around .500 at 32-31. But, what we want to focus on is the lineup and Rafael Devers. The Sox have been without Triston Casas, Trevor Story, and Masataka Yoshida for most of this season. Even Tyler O’Neill took a trip to the IL recently.
Yet, Devers keeps trucking. He keeps finding ways to produce without the expected protection around him in the everyday lineup.
The man in the hot corner for the Sox is hitting .287 with what would be career highs in both OPS (.947) and SLG (.569). Devers is also on pace to hit well over 30 HRs. Heading into last night's game, since his return from a bone bruise in his left knee, Raffy had been on a mission. And, we repeat, he's done all of that without steady protection surrounding him.
We can only imagine what the Sox star might look like if Yoshida returns sooner rather than later, Casas hits his July 1st target date, and this lineup lengthens out a bit. But, until then, go Raffy go!!!