One could argue that Jayson Tatum is under the most pressure when compared to all the other stars expected to participate in the upcoming 2024 NBA Finals. As the majority of the basketball world should be aware, the 2023-2024 playoffs are soon approaching a climax with the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks ready to face off in the NBA Finals.
While the Mavs defeated the Los Angeles Clippers, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Minnesota Timberwolves to make it to the Finals, the Celtics defeated the Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Indiana Pacers to do the same. Although some fans may assume that all the stars from both sides have the same amount of pressure heading into the Finals, that is not really the case.
Jayson Tatum and the Celtics have been to 5 Eastern Conference Finals so far
It is quite rare for any team to make it to the Conference Finals multiple times within a relatively short span of time only to fall short of achieving the ultimate goal in winning a coveted NBA championship. After Tatum joined the team, the Celtics have been to the Eastern Conference Finals 5 times but are yet to secure an NBA title.
They even made the NBA Finals in 2022 and were favored to win. However, Tatum and the Celtics ended up losing to Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors. Since they have already felt the pressure and expectations that come with playing in the NBA Finals, Tatum will be heavily scrutinized if he has 2 Finals losses on his resume within a span of just 4 years.
In comparison, Jaylen Brown is not really considered the face of the franchise. Moreover, this is Luka Doncic’s first NBA Finals appearance and Kyrie Irving already has a title to his name after winning the 2016 NBA championship alongside LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. All of these factors undoubtedly lead to Tatum having more pressure on his shoulders in contrast to the other stars from both sides.Tatum played poorly against GSW in the 2022 NBA Finals
Another reason for Jayson Tatum having a significant amount of pressure is his performance during his last NBA Finals appearance. He scored only 12 points in Game 1 and 13 points in a must-win Game 6 that the Celtics ended up losing. One could argue that Jaylen Brown was the better player in that Finals series.
Since Tatum is widely acknowledged as the better player, he simply cannot afford to play poorly during his second trip to the NBA Finals. For all of these reasons, Jayson Tatum has the most pressure when compared to all the stars expected to participate in the upcoming 2024 NBA Finals.