Who’s the best player in the NBA right now? Last year, Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum said the NBA’s best was Giannis Antetokounmpo. But not anymore.
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This time around, when Tatum was asked by ESPN’s Malika Andrews who the NBA’s best player in 2024 is, he replied, “Myself.”
Jayson Tatum believes he can be the face of the NBA
Coming out of the NBA All-Star break, the Boston Celtics have the league’s best record at 43-12. As the best player on the NBA’s best team, does that mean Jayson Tatum should be ranked No. 1 too?
He believes so.
“I’ve got a lot of respect for a lot of guys in this league. Giannis for sure, (Nikola) Jokic obviously just won (a championship), (Joel) Embiid, guys who’ve won MVPs. The list goes on. The league is in a great place. I truly do believe every night I step out on the floor that I’m the best player.”
Jayson Tatum on why he’s the NBA’s best player
“Maybe I’ve kinda grown into my own in a sense. I’m still young, 25, but it’s my seventh year in the league. I’m very confident because I know how hard I work and how much I put into this game. I know how badly I want to be one of the best and how badly I want to win. Why wouldn’t I be confident? I know how hard I work.”
Yet, while Tatum is in the running to be one of the league’s greatest today, many others may not view him in that light quite yet. For one, he doesn’t have any NBA MVP awards or league championships, but Tatum realizes what he needs to do next.
“I understand that, no matter what I do in the regular season, I’m at that point where people just judge me off whether I can win a championship. I realize that, and it’s like, all right, I just gotta do it.”
Jayson Tatum via The Athletic
As the careers of players like LeBron James and Steph Curry wind down, the NBA will be looking for a new ‘face of the league’ much like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant were for their respective eras. But Tatum says he’s up to the task.
“I feel like it’s mine to take,” Tatum said. “I do feel like, if we win a championship, it would be more distinguished and clear. But I understand I’m in that shortlist for sure.”
With the Celtics once again poised to enter the playoffs as NBA Finals favorites, whether Tatum can finally get that ring on his finger may go a long way toward determining his place among the league’s best. But he already knows that.
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