Jayson Tatum disrespected with nonsensical Donovan Mitchell comparison

The Jayson Tatum discourse has reached a disrespectful zenith with Richard Jefferson's insinuation that Donovan Mitchell can be slotted into No. 0's spot on the Boston Celtics and produce the same results.

Even after winning his first championship and helping Boston get their elusive 18th banner, Tatum is being labeled replaceable. NBA discourse is broken, at least from a national perspective, with an ESPN analyst making such a claim.

Luckily, not everyone commenting on the game is prone to buy into the anti-Tatum narrative. Boston Sports Journal's John Karalis recognizes that Mitchell lacks the stopping power, distributing ability, and overall team-centric attitude Tatum does, denying Jefferson's absurd claim.

"I think the Jayson Tatum discourse has lost its way. The real value to Tatum in the Finals was playmaking, rebounding, and defense to go along with what he did to the defense offensively even when his shot wasn't falling," Karalis wrote on Twitter.

"Rankings are subjective, but Tatum's contributions are wide-ranging and important. You can't just plug in Donovan Mitchell and have the same impact, even if he scored 30. Teams don't target Tatum on defense. He isn't taking away from Jaylen Brown or Derrick White or Jrue Holiday. Mitchell was great vs. Boston & he raises his game in the playoffs. But saying you can just plug him into Boston ignores a lot of fit issues."

Mitchell replacing Tatum in the lineup would make the Celtics a small-ball outfit. Jrue Holiday or Derrick White would have to shift to the three, and Jaylen Brown would have to become a frontcourt player. That doesn't work in any conceivable way.

Alternatively, Mitchell could send White or Holiday to the bench. That's an even worse idea. Sacrificing either's playmaking or defense for extended stretches and having to play Al Horford extended minutes at 38 makes the team worse.

There's no reality where Mitchell makes Boston a better team than they are now. Chemistry is a real thing in the NBA, and Joe Mazzulla has his roster closer than perhaps any other in the Association. Tatum and Brown, in particular, have become perfect star running mates and the former's Team USA experience with White and Holiday should only further strengthen the lineup's cohesion.

Jefferson, a former NBA champion with a Cleveland Cavaliers team that featured legendary chemistry between LeBron James and Kyrie Irving, should know you can't just replace key pieces and expect similar results.

Maybe an MVP will finally silence Tatum's constant doubters

By winning the Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP award, Brown shut up the doubters who called him a one-dimensional dribbler who was more of an athlete than a baller. It's clear that Tatum needs to win a Finals MVP, or a regular season one, to get that same respect.

Perhaps it's his Duke roots that make Tatum so hated. Perhaps it's setting the bar so high by being the team's best player en route to a seven-game Eastern Conference Finals series against James' Cavs in 2018.

Regardless of the reason, Tatum discourse borders on fan fiction more than it does objective analysis.

And until he nabs that signature individual achievement, this nonsense will continue.