The Boston Celtics have had the best record in the NBA for the majority of this season. The Celtics’ performance has given their superstar, Jayson Tatum, a newfound confidence that he lacked last year. In an interview with ESPN’s Malika Andrews one year ago, Tatum called Giannis Antetokounmpo the best player in the NBA. However, Tatum’s answer to the same question was completely different this year.

Malika asked Tatum who he thought was the best player in the NBA. Tatum responded, “Myself.” The Celtics superstar’s bold claim comes days after he said he could be the next face of the NBA when LeBron James retires. “When LeBron retires, the face of the league, that’s tough. But we win a championship, I’ve got something to say about it, I know that,” Tatum said after Sunday’s All-Star Game. He received a ton of backlash from the NBA World for calling himself the next face of the league. But he was unfazed by the response and was confident in his skills.

Fans disregarded Tatum as the next face of the league because he has not won a Championship or the MVP trophy in his career. Meanwhile, superstars like Giannis and Jokic have collected multiple accolades and built a stacked resume in the same era. However, Tatum is only 25 years old and has a lot of time to accomplish his goal of winning a Championship.

Has Tatum’s early success hurt his reputation?

Jayson Tatum has been in the league for 7 years. In those 7 years, he has reached the Eastern Conference Finals 4 times and the NBA Finals once in 2022. While that is a massive accomplishment for a player who is only 25 years old, Tatum’s early career success might have done more harm than good for him. The NBA World has set extremely high expectations for the Celtics superstar because of how great he has been since the start of his career. Fans believe he should have already won at least one championship by the age of 25 and has underachieved.

Unlike LeBron James, Stephen Curry Is Nowhere Close To Retiring

Tatum’s prime is still ahead of him, and his game will only improve in the future. That is evident from his performance this season. Tatum is having one of the best seasons of his career, averaging 27.1 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 4.8 assists. He has led the Celtics to the number 1 seed in the Eastern Conference standings with a 43-12 record. “I am better than I was two years ago,” Tatum said, claiming the Celtics have a better team this year than the 2022 Finals. Despite the backlash, Tatum has a legitimate chance at winning multiple championships in the future and becoming the next face of the franchise.

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