The Boston Celtics are the defending NBA champions. It was one of the easier championships won in recent years because of how quickly they mowed through their opponents.
Jayson Tatum is the leader of the team. Despite not winning Finals MVP, he is still the best player on the team.
Coming off the title, Tatum was one of the few players who didn't play very much during the Olympics. He and Tyrese Haliburton were the two players left out of the rotation.
Celtics fans have taken that as a sign of disrespect. Tatum thinks that he deserves more credit for the things he's done so far in his career.
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Former Celtics superstar Paul Pierce agrees. He thinks that Tatum is being under-appreciated for what he's accomplished.
Pierce seems to think it's because he plays in Boston.
Pierce claims that Boston is the most hated team not just in the NBA but in all of sports. He believes that because of that, all of Tatum's accomplishments are glossed over.
Tatum does seem to be looked over when it comes to naming the best players in the league. Despite all of his accomplishments, pundits never seem to think that he could one day be the best player in the NBA.
"Because he plays for Boston," Pierce said "That's just what it is. Every player through Boston, even Larry Bird, was under-appreciated, you know what I'm saying? Because at one point, he was the best player in the league."
Bird was certainly appreciated enough when he played in the 1980s. He brought the Celtics back to prominence after they were a bad franchise in the 70s.
Tatum is someone who doesn't have the impact of Bird, but he still is very young. He is just 27 years old, and he should only keep getting better.
If the Celtics are able to win the title again this season, there is no denying that Tatum deserves more credit. Winning back-to-back titles would give Tatum a possible claim to being the best player in the league.
Tatum is averaging 26.8 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 5.8 assists per game this season.
