Boston Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum feels underappreciated, and franchise icon Paul Pierce knows why he doesn’t get the respect he deserves. On the latest episode of the Ticket and The Truth podcast, Pierce claimed the hatred toward Boston has led to Tatum getting undeserved criticism.
“Because he plays for Boston. It’s just what it is,” Pierce said. “Even Larry Bird was underappreciated because at one point, he was the best player in the league, but it was always Magic… Boston is the most hated franchise, hated team in all of sports, in all of basketball for sure.
“Like the guy has been to six Conference Finals in eight years,” Pierce continued. “In eight years, two Finals. Like, if you match that up with like, KD’s and all the stars, they didn’t do that. Even like Luka (Doncic) been to one Finals, two Conference Finals.”
That’s a nice little theory, but it falls apart when Pierce claims that Larry Bird was underappreciated. Bird was named MVP thrice in his career, and only five players in NBA history have won the award on more occasions.
Bird is also just one of three players to win three straight MVPs, and he got all of them before Magic Johnson even got one. So, to claim that Johnson got all the appreciation while Bird was pushed to the side is ridiculous.
Getting back to the point about winning three straight MVPs, one of the other players to accomplish that feat was a certain Celtics icon named Bill Russell. So, the notion that their players have always been underappreciated is just not true.
As for why Tatum might not get the respect he deserves, well, there are quite a few reasons you can point to. His numbers don’t jump off the screen, his game isn’t too flashy, and he doesn’t have an infectious personality, either.
Tatum has also had the fortune of playing on pretty talented teams for basically his entire career. So, his making six Conference Finals in eight years isn’t held in quite the same regard as someone like Luka Doncic getting there twice with a good but not great supporting cast.
The only way Tatum is going to get more respect is if he goes on and wins multiple titles. It would also help the 27-year-old’s cause if he wins Finals MVP by balling out on the big stage, something he was unable to do last year.
Tatum is certainly more than capable of doing it, too, as we have seen him deliver in high-pressure playoff games a fair few times in his career. If the six-time All-Star does get back to the Finals this year or at some other point in the future, you’d back him to put on a show. Until then, though, nothing is going to change in terms of how he is viewed.
Tatum also believes he is most qualified to become the next face of the NBA, and again, winning another title or two would help in that regard. The 43-18 Celtics have a pretty good shot at defending their title, and doing so would get Tatum a step closer to getting the kind of recognition he feels he deserves.
For now, though, Tatum and the Celtics’ attention would be on their next game against the Portland Trail Blazers at TD Garden on Wednesday at 7 PM ET.
