SUMMARY
- Jaylen Brown was rewarded with the Finals MVP over Jayson Tatum despite the obviously difference in stats.
- Tatum needs to focus on winning the MVP soon in order to shake off the doubters.
Being snubbed from personal accolades in the NBA is a widespread occurrence as athletes tend to make cases that in turn make it harder for the voters to choose. Jayson Tatum has been one of the best players in the league for the last few years. He already has a couple of impressive All-NBA and All-Star selections, and a championship has only added more credibility to his name.
However, the 26-year-old wasn’t rewarded with the Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP Trophy. Rather, the NBA chose to give it to Jaylen Brown. In all fairness, Brown was an exceptional leader and the Boston Celtics’ best player from the first through third rounds of the postseason. Winning the Eastern Conference Finals MVP was quite fitting, but not the NBA Finals MVP.
Jayson Tatum had a better stat line than Jaylen Brown in the NBA Finals
When you take a look at their overall stats, Jayson Tatum certainly had a better championship run than his teammate. He averaged 22.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 7.2 assists per game while leading the Celtics in all three categories. Tatum shot 38.8% from the field in 19.6 attempts while averaging 2 three-pointers made on 7.6 attempts. He also shot an impressive 92.6% from the free-throw line.
Jayson Tatum is the first player to lead an NBA champion in playoff scoring, rebounds and assists and NOT win Finals MVP since the award exists.
Larry Bird: 1984
Hakeem Olajuwon: 1994
Tim Duncan: 2003
LeBron: 2012, 2013 and 2016
Nikola Jokic: 2023All those won Finals MVP. pic.twitter.com/0nDLDWvx79
— HoopsHype (@hoopshype) June 18, 2024
These numbers were far better than what Brown produced in the finals. He averaged 20.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 5 assists per game while shooting 44% from the field on 16.8 attempts. He also averaged 23.5% from the deep on 6.8 attempts while shooting an underwhelming 73.3% from the charity stripe. It was certainly the leadership aspect of Brown’s performance that gave him the Finals MVP title.
The Celtics forward ought to make a strong comeback next season
What Jayson Tatum is currently experiencing is precisely what Steph Curry had to deal with until he won his fourth NBA title in 2022. Ironically, Curry faced the Celtics in 2022 when he won his first and only Finals MVP. Until that point, Curry had a lot of doubters claim that he wasn’t the all-time great that he poses to be.
JB says he’s sharing his Finals MVP with Jayson Tatum 🙌 pic.twitter.com/2qY9MoFI7d
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 18, 2024
Similarly, Tatum would have set his sights on winning the MVP soon. Over the last few years, Tatum has finished amongst the top six in MVP voting. A championship will certainly push him deeper into the conversation especially if the Celtics manage to retain the Eastern Conference throne next season as well. His 2023-24 season wasn’t the greatest, but he needs to come back stronger and win an MVP soon to brush off the doubters for good.