The 2024 NBA Finals saw the Boston Celtics win their 18th championship in franchise history with Jaylen Brown being named the Finals MVP. Many were disappointed to see Jayson Tatum fail to win the legacy-defining trophy, but Tatum revealed that head coach Joe Mazzulla was happy about the result. The coach explained why in a press scrum at Celtics media day.
"That’s just the way that I love him, it’s the relationship that we have, and I appreciate that he accepts my perspective and the way that we go about talking about it. But at the end of the day he’s 26 and I just said, ‘Listen, you’ve accomplished so much in this league. And just take a step back and appreciate that and then be grateful that you’ve got god willing 10, 12, 14 years left in this league. Who knows what you’re going to see?’"
"I don’t think we’ve seen the best of him yet because of how much he works and how he’s willing to grow. So I thought it was great that he has something to work toward.
"Sometimes when you get success you don’t have that next hunger right in front of you. Sometimes you’ve gotta wait for it. Sometimes it’s a loss, sometimes it’s a losing streak. He was able to get that right in front of him. So I just thought it was a gift."
"It doesn’t mean that he shouldn’t be pissed off about it. I didn’t want to take away from how that may affect him in real time because I wasn’t there. But as his coach and as somebody that really cares about him I just thought it was great because it gives him something to work toward for the rest of his career.”
Tatum averaged 22.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 7.2 assists in the 2024 NBA Finals in the 4-1 series win over the Dallas Mavericks. Despite his overall stats, Tatum played with poor efficiency (38.8 FG%) and Brown's impact on the series was noticeably more pronounced despite his overall stats being lower than Tatum's.
Jayson Tatum Doesn't Think It Was His Time To Win Finals MVP
Jayson Tatum doesn't look at his failure to win Finals MVP as big of an issue as many have painted it out to be, comparing himself to other superstars who won a title but not the Finals MVP like Larry Bird, Isiah Thomas, and Stephen Curry,.
"It just wasn't my time. I'm not the only superstar to not win Finals MVP. Steph Curry got 4 rings and he only has one. Isiah Thomas didn't win every time, Larry Bird didn't win Finals MVP every time he won the championship."
"The most important thing was that we won and I know I played a huge role in us winning a championship... For me, I was happy for (Jaylen Brown)... I was happy we won and I know that I'm gonna win Finals MVP one day."
The Celtics are favorites to repeat and become the first team since the 2018 Warriors to defend their NBA Championship. If they put themselves in a position to win another title, Jayson Tatum will need to emerge as the Finals MVP and bring home a 19th Larry O'Brien to Boston.
