No one needs to feel bad for Jayson Tatum after he lost out on millions because he wasn't an All-NBA selection last season. Even he doesn't think people should feel bad for him. So, we're all on the same page with that detail.
But, he did make a case about there needing to be change when it comes to the All-NBA process, recently discussing the matter on "The Old Man and the Three" podcast.
"I remember last year when I was in the playoffs — or (the) playoffs might've been over — and everybody was coming out with their All-NBA ballots and podcasts and who they were voting for," Tatum said to JJ Redick. "I had $30 million on the line to make it. Now, I specifically remember one person saying, 'I'm not a fan of his shot selection, so I just couldn't put him on my All-NBA ballot.' And I was like… I was baffled.
"Because, if you think about it, the way that it's set up for the All-NBA stuff — and a lot of guys have stuff set up for making All-NBA. Everyone knows I didn't make it last year. I lost $30 million or whatever. The fact that somebody could have that thought and basically cost someone $30 million — forget about me, say the next rookie extension guys come in — I think that has to change."
And that's ultimately where Tatum makes the sound point. The amount of money he makes should not be directly tied to a process that calls for opinion-based voting. Especially when there are probably a few voters who didn't get to see him more than a dozen times. It should be about a team's opinion of him, the impact they feel he can make and such. Because voters weigh certain stats differently than others, and some may value intangibles, like the voter Tatum alluded to in the interview.
"Because there's no criteria set for the voters on who they should vote for," Tatum added. "It's all opinion-based. There's no like, 'well, he should have to play this many games or they should be in the playoffs or average this many points.' It's all like, 'Well, you know, I like this guy a little bit more,' or certain things like that. I think there's just a little too much on the line for that."
But this is where Tatum is a bit off. Sure, there have to be base-level candidacy rules for these sorts of awards — can't have someone like John Wall, who hasn't played a minute this season, getting an 2021-22 All-NBA nod.
However, beyond baseline parameters, voters should have the ability to select whoever they want. If the league decides to pull someone's vote at some point because they put Jeff Green on the ballot in a qualifying year over Tatum, that's one thing. Drawing lines like Tatum alluded to, such as teams making the playoffs, defeats the whole part of the voting process.
Either take away the votes altogether and make it solely stats-based — then it's not a huge issue if it has an impact on what players can make — or keep it opinion-based and sever the money-related tie All-NBA and other awards directly have on contract. Can't have it both ways.
