Rachel Nichols praises Jayson Tatum for his underrated greatness

Jayson Tatum entered the NBA with a scorer’s mentality. In his first playoff run with the Boston Celtics, he led the team in postseason scoring at just 19 years old. From the moment he entered the league, he was a polished scorer with a knack for getting buckets.

Seven years later, Tatum is so much more than that. 

On a recent episode of FS1’s Undisputed, NBA analyst Rachel Nichols gave Tatum high praise for the way he led the Celtics to Banner 18 this past June. 

Nichols addressed the way Tatum silenced his critics by getting over the championship hump. She also made it clear that Tatum is an unquestioned top-five player in the game due to his three straight All-NBA First Team selections, as well as his statistical dominance and leadership en route to a title.

During his championship run, Tatum did something only five other players in basketball history have accomplished: he led his team in playoff points, rebounds, and assists on the way to an NBA title.

Nichols made it a point to emphasize the rarity of this stat.

"The truth is – even though Jaylen Brown won Finals MVP – that it was Jayson Tatum who led the team throughout the playoffs in points, rebounds, and assists … He’s only the sixth guy to ever do that. The other names are Jokic, LeBron, Duncan, Olajuwon, and Larry Bird. He is in very rare company."

- Rachel Nichols

At 26 years old, Tatum is on a historical track. His resume is littered with individual and team accomplishments. From five All-Star appearances and four All-NBA selections to an NBA championship and an Olympic gold medal, Tatum has already put together a Hall-of-Fame resume just seven years into his career.

Nichols discussed the legendary path Tatum has set up for himself, listing the small handful of all-time greats that had more career points at his relatively young age.

"He is only 26 but already, the only people in NBA history who have scored as much as him at this age? LeBron, KD, Carmelo, Tracy McGrady, and Kobe. He is on track with those guys … He has a long way to go, but that is what he is on track for."

- Rachel Nichols

In Game 5 of the NBA Finals, Tatum passed his idol Kobe Bryant for the most playoff points in NBA history for a 26-year-old. Tatum’s 2,711 career points in the playoffs just eclipsed Bryant’s 2,694 postseason points before turning 27.

Jayson Tatum has transformed into the most well-rounded player in basketball

While Tatum has made headlines for some epic scoring explosions throughout his career, his growth as a versatile offensive engine really put the Celtics over the top in these playoffs. All season long, Tatum talked about his willingness to impact the game in many different ways. 

Tatum recently joined WNBA legend Sue Bird and host Tommy Alter on The Old Man and the Three podcast. He talked about his overall growth as a player and how a Team USA coach at Olympics training recognized him for his all-around impact during his title run. 

"Earlier in my career, I was so defined – or wanted to be defined – by scoring. I had my first practice today at USA Basketball … one of the coaches came up to me and said that him and a lot of other coaches watched throughout the playoffs and were so impressed by my willingness to dominate in other areas. When I wouldn’t have great shooting nights, could I get 14 rebounds, could I get 8 assists, could I guard the big man … To hear him come and tell me that, it meant a lot."

- Jayson Tatum

In the Finals, Tatum put his ability to dominate in all areas on full display.

The superstar forward essentially served as a six-foot-10 point guard for Boston while guarding the Dallas Mavericks’ big men all series long. Tatum often shut down Dallas’ pick-and-roll, erasing Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford as serious lob threats. 

The Mavs entered the Finals with five times as many lobs as any other playoff team, but Tatum shut the water off for Luka Doncic’s favorite alley-oop targets. Tatum’s impact as Boston’s most switchable defender went mostly unnoticed by mainstream media, but Celtics fans are well aware of their franchise player’s ability to guard all five positions.

On offense, Tatum dished out more assists and created more potential assists for his teammates than highly-touted playmaker Luka Doncic. The Mavs swarmed Tatum with a plethora of traps and blitzes in the halfcourt, and they often threw extra bodies into the paint when JT drove to the basket.

From his playmaking and rebounding to his defense and leadership, Tatum embraced his ability to affect the game without having to score. Although he led his team in scoring in the Finals, Tatum truly fueled the Celtics with his well-rounded greatness that often goes unnoticed.