I think most rational Celtics fans have realized for a while that the team has a true, generational superstar in Jayson Tatum, but it hasn’t always felt that way. Tatum and Jaylen Brown never showed any signs of a rift or anything like that, but the media narratives always pushed some kind of beef or tug-of-war for true alpha status between the two stars.
Perhaps JB was overqualified to be a number two, but things always got framed as more of a 1a/1b situation that was never really fair to Tatum, who made first-team All-NBA four consecutive years before getting hurt (something Brown has never done in his career).
Give credit to JT; he never once pushed back, made a stink about it, or created even the slightest issue between the two stars, seemingly happy to coexist as leaders of the team and faces of the franchise. But if we’re being honest with ourselves, he was always the better player and has never fully gotten the star treatment in Boston that he deserves.
But now, that’s finally all changing, and it was made perfectly clear in Paul George’s introductory press conference when he was asked about being a superstar and quickly deferred, claiming the team already has a superstar in Tatum and that he’s just there to help complement him.
This was a perfectly innocent statement with no hidden meaning or anything like that. To an outsider or someone who’s not really paying much attention, it may have seemed like nothing, and perhaps that’s exactly what PG intended. But this is a stark contrast to the way that Tatum and the Celtics have been discussed for the last decade.
We're officially in the Jayson Tatum era in Boston
There has always been a bit of awkwardness in discussing the hierarchy of the team and the balance of power between Tatum and Brown. In many ways, that was a good problem to have and one that only existed because they had two great players. But in other ways, the franchise and fanbase may have been selling Tatum short to an extent.
Now, that has all changed. It’s very clearly Tatum’s team, and he’s the unquestioned leader and alpha of the team, the sun that everything else in the Celtics' universe revolves around for better or worse. And as much as I love JB and hated seeing him go, I have to admit it’s refreshing.
Tatum has always deserved this, and the fact that he has been so happy to take a backseat and share the spotlight, even though he deserved it, just speaks to the kind of person and teammate he is. But now, those days are over. It’s no longer about the Jays; it's officially the Jayson Tatum era in Boston, and everyone should be thrilled at the possibilities.
We have a true, elite superstar in town, and we need to start appreciating that and doing everything we can to enjoy the journey, enhance his career, and make sure that he goes down with a legacy as one of the all-time greats, hopefully with a handful of championship rings.
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