Jayson Tatum leaned back in his chair, mimicking a basketball shot when asked if he has been one of the most scrutinized players throughout the postseason.
"You think so?" he responded with a smile, holding his follow-through.
Scrutiny is inevitable for a player of Tatum's caliber. Yet, throughout his career, the criticism he faces has often been bizarre and, at times, utterly ridiculous.
This year has been no different.
Despite earning his third consecutive First-Team All-NBA honors and leading a 64-win team to the NBA Finals while averaging 26.0 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 5.9 assists—all team highs— throughout the postseason, and playing some of the best defense of his career, Tatum still faces unwarranted criticism.
The Duke product achieved a rare feat, becoming one of only five players in the last 50 years to maintain averages of at least 25 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists entering the NBA Finals. However, rather than focusing on his performance, national pundits shifted their attention to trivial matters, like his reaction when Jaylen Brown was named Eastern Conference Finals MVP, foolishly claiming that a smiling Tatum was not happy for his teammate.
It's strange. The constant scrutiny of a 26-year-old who has experienced nothing but success has never really made sense. Nonetheless, it doesn't bother Tatum, who was notably chipper at the podium ahead of his second crack at the NBA Finals. However, it does bother those around him.
"It's my mom, my grandma, my family and friends. They're more bothered by it than me," Tatum said. "But for me, I don't take it personal, right? Just a long break without NBA basketball, so they had to overanalyze every little thing, have something to talk about. Did it get old? Yeah. But, you know, it's the Finals. They wouldn't talk about me if I wasn't good."
It's nothing new for Tatum or Brown. They have faced scrutiny since day one. For Brown, it started the day he was drafted, when fans booed after Wyc Grousbeck announced the team's selection of Brown to fans assembled at TD Garden for a draft event—a moment he hasn't forgotten.
"You get to a point where it's, like, you get scrutinized enough for a large part of your career, it becomes normal," Brown said. "It's kind of been that my whole career, in a sense. Just being booed when you were drafted to saying you were overpaid, saying you were overpaid again. It's been that the whole journey for me."
The amount of success this duo of 26- and 27-year-olds has achieved in such a short time is often overlooked. Now in their second NBA Finals, they have reached the Conference Finals 71% of the time they've been together and have been to more Conference Finals together than the Magic, Raptors, Hawks, Nets, Kings, Clippers, Grizzlies, Hornets, and Pelicans have in their entire franchise histories—yet they are constantly criticized.
"The pressure that JB and JT have to take on is something different," Jrue Holiday said. "I've told them this before, but it's really impressive how they handle themselves, how they stay professional, how they still come out every game and do what they do. I think it's extremely impressive how they do that."
For the Jays, the only way to put an end to the constant noise, is to win a championship, and while they may not be focused on individual legacies when they take to the floor for Game 1 on Thursday night, it almost certainly has to be on the back of their minds.
"I would say part of my motivation is I just love to win," Tatum said. "I think right now, just staying present in the moment. I'm not thinking about what it would mean for my legacy or anything like that. Just excited to play some basketball after this long break and go out there and try to get the job done."
The Jays have left their mark on all the franchise record books. Yet, to truly cement their legacy in Celtics lore, they must finish what they've started—an expectation they understand all too well.
"If you want to be one of the greats to put on this uniform, every great before you won a championship. That's what we try to play for every single season. The expectations are obviously different here," Tatum said.
"We've been able to go through the experiences of having success but not having success at the same time. I think to solidify the ultimate goal is to get over the hump and win. I think that will add a lot to our legacy," Brown added.
When they run out of that tunnel on Thursday night, they will feel the weight of expectation, the pressure, and, of course, the scrutiny. But one thing is clear: fueled by past setbacks, the Jays are determined to rise to the occasion and earn their well-deserved spot among the Celtics' greats.
