Evaluating Jayson Tatum is complicated. He's led his team to a title, making a case as the best player on the best team in the league — even though he didn't win Finals MVP. But he also struggled dramatically with his jumpshot late in the playoff run and had to adapt, making a difference as a defender and playmaker, picking up points wherever he could.
- Ian Levy
FanSided Creative Editorial Director
On one hand, that adaptability is mark in his favor but you can also argue that the greatest players in the league shape the game in big moments, not adapt around it. Between that narrative and his virtual benching in the Olympics, Tatum came into this season with a reputation far messier than you would expect for a player as accomplished as him.
His re-worked jumpshot is still a work in progress but his versatile two-way skill set that is hard to ignore. You can get lost in the weeds of comparing his importance to other stars in a vacuum, but the fact is that he wins actual basketball games — which is kind of what this is all about, right?