For the last 48 hours, the NBA landscape has been caught up in a whirlwind of emotions. News of the blockbuster trade that sent Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers and Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks broke shortly after midnight on February 1, and people are still reeling. But not the Boston Celtics.
See, while the Lakers and Mavericks look to plan their futures with their new-look rosters, the Celtics are still set. The Doncic-led Lakers and Nico Harrison-controlled Mavs just changed the outlook of their respective franchises forever, but the Celtics should be content with their current state of affairs.
Especially because this deal just proved that Jayson Tatum is better than Doncic.
Luka Doncic trade proves Jayson Tatum is the better player
There will inevitably still be people around the NBA who believe that Doncic is better than Tatum on the court. And that’s a fair assessment. Doncic is one of the best offensive players to ever grace a basketball court.
Tatum’s defensive prowess should account for a large part of the argument in his favor, but the reality is, nothing that either player does on the court is nearly as relevant as what this trade proved.
As outlined in a tell-all article by Ramona Shelburne and Tim MacMahon of ESPN, a huge reason the Mavs decided to trade Doncic is because of his consistent inability to remain in shape.
Doncic gained weight during the season, put on even more weight when he wasn’t playing, and his health habits were completely misaligned with what the Mavs wanted.
That has never been a problem with Tatum.
For his entire career, Tatum has not only been the peak of physical health and commitment to the game but he’s also been one of the most durable superstars in the sport.
He’s constantly made improvements to his game and is always looking for ways to improve. Doncic has gotten better, but everything this trade has revealed is that it has very little to do with his commitment to the game.
Dallas was so worried about Doncic’s constant inability to stay healthy and his lack of commitment to the game that they traded him instead of worrying about paying him millions of dollars.
Doncic is a top-five player in the NBA, a generational superstar, and his off-the-court decisions were still enough to make the Mavs want to trade him.
Not only have those things not been an issue for Tatum, but the exact opposite is true. Whereas Doncic is lazy, unwilling to put in extra effort, and a complete diva, Tatum is a hard-working, effort-driven, unproblematic superstar.
Combine that with his commitment to the defensive side of the floor and consistent offensive improvements, and it has never been more clear who the better player is.
Off-the-court stuff matters. Clearly, now more than ever.