With Jayson Tatum's Celtics on cusp of history, Nick Kyrgios worries 26YO gets lost in Jaylen Brown's potential MVP shine

Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios had his say on the NBA Finals MVP debate, referencing the amount of hate Jayson Tatum seems to get despite finding consistent success with the Boston Celtics. While Tatum is traditionally considered the more talented of the two young Celtics superstars, Jaylen Brown has dominated conversations for the finals MVP title.

Both the players have been in rampant form, with a range of analysts and Mavericks coach Jason Kidd saying that Brown is the better player.

In an interview with 'Run It Back,' Kyrgios said:

“Right now, I probably have [Jaylen Brown] as Finals MVP, although I do want Tatum to get it because I know if [The Celtics] win it, and Tatum doesn’t get it, Tatum is never going to get his flowers. And I want to get his flowers. He gets so much hate for no reason.”

Multiple analysts believe Jaylen Brown is better than Jayson Tatum

Most Celtics supporters will claim that Tatum is the more talented of the two. However, he has often been seen to come up short on big occasions, with the 2022 Finals against the Golden State Warriors still fresh in fans’ memory.

Apart from Kidd, Skip Bayless also claimed something similar, suggesting that Brown’s overall game and defensive effort make him the better player of the two.

At the same time, Tatum has been the Boston Celtics’ primary scorer, averaging a double-double of 25.2 points and 10.1 rebounds in the postseason. The Celtics have largely had smooth sailing in the playoffs this year, and a major part of the credit still goes to Tatum.

At the same time, Brown’s Game 3 performance has led to further support for his MVP claims. He scored 24 points in the second half and evaporated any hope that Mavericks supporters might have had of a miraculous comeback. At the same time, both Brown and Tatum will be well aware that this is a team effort, and returning with the championship will be the sole aim.

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