"I don't know if he's ever going to be selfish enough to have a Luka statistical season" - Ryen Russillo on Jayson Tatum's MVP chances
After Jayson Tatum finally led the Boston Celtics to their 18th championship last season, many expect the five-time All-Star to be the prime candidate for the 2025 MVP. However, Ryen Russillo is skeptical of Tatum winning the award.
Speaking on the "Run It Back" show, the NBA analyst emphasized that since Tatum likely won't carry the scoring load or consistently register triple-doubles, the credit for the Celtics' success will probably be shared, ultimately removing the MVP spotlight from the 26-year-old.
Russillo on Tatum's MVP chances
Last season, JT played the most games (74) out of all the stars in the Celtics' starting lineup. He even led the team in points (26.9) and rebounds (8.1), deservingly earning a spot on the All-NBA First Team. However, Boston's success was widely attributed to Jaylen brown and Kristaps Porzingis, who averaged 23.0 and 20.1 points per game, respectively. The likes of Jrue Holiday and Derrick White also got their fair share of credit.
Russillo pointed out that other MVP contenders will probably have monster performances because their teams rely heavily on their scoring to win games. Tatum, for better or for worse, doesn't have that responsibility.
"Whenever I look at Tatum… Tatum is in that weird spot where's never going to be Jokic, Giannis, or Luka. You know, he's not those guys. That's ok. He's better than the other 460 players. The problem is, you know, when you start talking about MVP for him, I don't know if he's ever going to be selfish enough with the talent on this team and dynamic enough to have a Luka statistical season to win it," Russillo said. "It's ok to maybe be the fifth or sixth best player in the NBA."
What does Tatum need to do to win the MVP award?
Tatum still put up MVP-worthy numbers last season and even led his squad to the best record in the league. However, he was overshadowed by Nikola Jokic's all-around greatness despite the Denver Nuggets finishing the campaign seven wins shy of the Celtics—the Serbian put up 26.4 points, 12.4 rebounds, and 9.0 assists per contest.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who finished second in the 2024 MVP race, also had a great year. He averaged 30.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 6.2 assists and led the Oklahoma City Thunder to the first seed in the Western Conference. However, "The Joker" beat him in a not-so-close MVP race.
With the stat inflation in today's NBA, JT will need to put up even better regular-season numbers to contend for the award. Those stats will also need to translate into wins. However, coming off a championship-winning campaign, it's safe to assume voters will look at him differently, especially if Boston once again finishes the campaign with the best record in the NBA. That's why the 2024-25 season might be Jayson's best chance to finally snatch the MVP.
