With Jayson Tatum on the court, the Boston Celtics have gone to the NBA Finals four times since he joined the team in 2022. The 25-year-old superstar has already accomplished a great deal in his young career, but some fans around the league are fixating on his inability to win a championship thus far.
In a recent interview with Sports Illustrated’s Bobby Krivitsky, Miami Heat great Dwyane Wade praised Tatum’s play. Wade made careful to streҽss the significance of the early opportunities the St. Louis native has received in the NBA.
“He’s had a lot of times where he’s been right there,” Wade said to Krivitsky. “And a lot of people enjoy acting as if that’s a nҽgative thing to talk about. If anything, I’d like to have many chances to do it. To that end, I sincerely hope that he achieves all of his goals in the NBA. Not only is he one of my favorite players, but he is also one of my favorite people to have meaningful conversations with and share experiences with. However, you must also exercise patience. Your professional path will never be the same as someone else’s.
Boston hasn’t won a championship in 15 years, and Jayson Tatum could be the key to ending that streak. Yes, that much time has passed. It has been until 2008 since the Boston Celtics last hoisted a championship banner. As Wade mentioned, they’ve been neck-and-neck in recent years, with three of the last four seasons culminating in the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Boston Celtics are now the second betting favorites to win the NBA championship in 2024, behind only the Denver Nuggets.
With the addition of recently acquired center Kristaps Porzingis, the team’s starting lineup is as formidable as it has ever been. Last year, Porzingis had his best scoring season ever, averaging 23.2 points per game.
Tatum and the Celtics have a lot of support behind them as they try to win Banner 18. At 25, he has more than earned his place in raising the next banner. Over the past two years, he has been recognized as one of the NBA’s finest players by being selected to the All-NBA first team.
His teammate Jaylen Brown just signed a contract extension to stay in Boston for another five years at a cost of $304 million. The notion that Brown is considering leaving the C’s off the court should be put to rest by his signing.
No more apologies can be made for this year. The year is now. Tatum, who hasn’t been a problem in the playoffs recently (apart from the 2022 Finals), should be prepared to lead the Celtics to another title.