"Leave him alone" - Chandler Parsons believes Jayson Tatum gets harsher treatment compared to Doncic and Jokic, urges fans to get off his back
Celtics standout Jayson Tatum has struggled to replicate his numbers from the regular season so far throughout the playoffs. While Tatum finished the regular season as a member of the All-NBA First-Team, his efficiency has dropped in the postseason, earning him criticism from some members of the NBA community. The way Chandler Parsons sees things, however, the criticism has gone too far.
Tatum is averaging just 28.9% from beyond the arc, compared to the 37.6% he averaged from downtown during the regular season. In addition, he's averaging 42.6% from the field, compared to 47.1% from the floor during the regular season.
Despite that, the Celtics have continued to win, making it all the way to the NBA Finals where they now sit with a 2-0 lead over the Dallas Mavericks. While Tatum's production has earned him criticism from fans, Chandler Parsons believes that he is treated unfairly compared to other NBA stars.
Speaking on Wednesday morning's installment of Run It Back on FanDuel TV, Parsons spoke about the criticism Tatum receives:
“If this were Luka, if this were Jokic, we would be praising him how he’s getting his teammates involved, how he’s letting the game come to him. We’re still finding a way to nitpick Jayson Tatum even though [The Celtics] are dominating this postseason… leave him alone!”
Looking at Jayson Tatum's recent NBA Finals performance in Game 2 that sparked criticism
While Jayson Tatum's postseason efficiency numbers are down from the regular season, he and the Celtics have continued to find success as a team. For example, in Game 2, where Tatum shot just 27.3% from the floor and 14.3% from downtown, he still managed to be a difference-maker for the Celtics.
Compensating for his inefficient performance, Tatum hauled down nine rebounds while dishing out 12 assists to his teammates. This allowed teammates such as Jrue Holiday, who finished the game with 26, and Derrick White, who finished the game with 18, to make up for his poor shooting night.
Speaking to media members after the game, Tatum was honest about his play, making it clear that he's aware his efficiency numbers need to improve. On Tuesday, he spoke again about his efficiency struggles while talking with media members:
"I think being in the Finals two years ago has helped me in this moment. Like I said, I understand that I do need to be more efficient. I do need to shoot the ball better, I would not disagree with anybody on that. But I'm not letting it bother me. I'm still trying to find ways to impact the game and dominate the game."
As we saw in Game 2, despite his inefficiency from the field, Jayson Tatum nearly finished the game with a triple-double. Most importantly, the Celtics finished the game with a win, taking a commanding 2-0 lead.
He and the team will have a chance to extend their series lead to 3-0 tonight when Game 3 tips off from Dallas. While Jayson Tatum's play throughout the first two games of the series has raised questions about whether or not he's the favorite to win the NBA Finals MVP award, there's still time for that to change.