Stephen A. Smith Feels Celtics’ Jayson Tatum Still Lacks This Superstar Trait
The Boston Celtics won a record 18th NBA championship with forward Jayson Tatum right in the middle of the action.
Tatum tallied 31 points in the clinching game and while he had a few inefficient shooting performances throughout the run, he played winning basketball for the Celtics and helped them deliver a title to Boston.
He’s a champion. He’s an All-Star. He’s an All-NBA player. What else does the Celtics star need?
If you ask former All-Star Carmelo Anthony, he’d say aura.
NBA analyst Stephen A. Smith agrees that Tatum lacks a show-stopping persona.
“He’s right and here’s where it comes from,” Smith shared on “The Stephen A. Smith Show” on Thursday. “You have guys that are just about their business. Grab my lunch pale, show up to work, handle my business, do my job, go home. That’s a lot of players. Then, you have special dudes that you can tell gravitate to being the marquee. They want to be the marquee.”
Smith added that Tatum lacks “sizzle” even while posting superstar numbers that have elevated him to represent the Celtics well as one of the sports’ premier players.
“Even though numbers would say that’s what Tatum does, his persona doesn’t say that,” Smith added.
That may not matter for Tatum, especially as he continues his summer as a reigning NBA champion with the Celtics.