"He has a history at times of going AWOL" - How Jayson Tatum proved Mark Jackson's bold take wrong during the Celtics 2024 NBA Finals run
The Boston Celtics finished their dominant 2023-24 campaign by winning the long-coveted ring, and at the forefront of all of their success were their two superstars, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. After years of coming up empty, the C's finally managed to win it all.
Over the years, and even in this playoff run, Tatum, Brown, and the Celtics have dealt with criticism and doubt. One such bold take came from Mark Jackson early on in their playoff run, and he had to eat his word after JT led Boston to a championship.
Jackson called out Tatum
While the Duke product has quickly emerged as one of the top players in the NBA, there had long been doubts over whether or not he could do what was needed to lead the Celtics to a title. Those fears quickly resurfaced when the C's lost Game 2 of their first-round series against the Miami Heat.
In previous playoff runs, Tatum has sometimes struggled in big games, particularly in the fourth quarter or overtime clutch situations. After this particular loss, Jackson called on Jayson to be better in these big games, saying he's too good to continue struggling in these contests.
"He's gotta find a way to impact the game," Jackson said on The Mark Jackson Show. "It doesn't have to be as a scorer, but he's gotta have his hands on the basketball, making plays as a scorer or a facilitator, getting guys going and getting his team going. He has a history at times of going AWOL and being missing and allowing other guys to try to take over. He's too great of a talent. They need him to be the home run hitter."
JT stepped up time and again
Jackson's comments certainly don't look that good right now after the Celtics win in the Finals. Brown won the Eastern Conference Finals and Finals MVP awards. Still, the other Jay was just as good as him throughout this entire playoff run.
After a quiet series against the Heat, JT responded by averaging 26.8 points per game against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round. In the ECF, Tatum was dominant down the stretch in Game 1 before he played arguably the most complete game of his career in Game 3.
Jayson struggled to score early in the Finals. Yet, he eventually found his way and put together his most impressive closeout performance in Game 5 to clinch the series for Boston. And just like that, the chatter that he couldn't deliver in big moments died down.
Jackson's complaints were fair, but Tatum disproved them once and for all with his strong showing in the 2024 NBA Playoffs. He will look to do it again in the 2024-25 campaign, as the Celtics are well-positioned to go on another deep run with their current core intact.
