Celtics’ Jayson Tatum Proposes Understandable NBA Rule Change

Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum doesn’t have the magic touch necessary to change the NBA’s current rulebook, but if that was the case, the 25-year-old knows exactly what he’d do.

Having been ejected twice during his seven-year playing career — both times in the same calendar year — Tatum’s harbored some resentment for NBA officials. Therefore, when asked what he’d change as commissioner, Tatum’s answer came as no surprise.

“If you get a tech, right? If you get a tech, for overreacting to a call and you were right. Like if they go back and look, and the coaches do the challenge and they overturn the call, that tech should be rescinded,” Tatum suggested to reporters on Saturday, per team-provided video. “You should get your money back. If you get a tech for overreacting to a call that was deemed incorrect or whatever, you should get your money back.”

Tatum smiled and laughed when asked, suggesting the five-time All-Star had given the idea some thought beforehand. And considering the way the one-sided dynamic is structured, could one blame him? On two occasions already, Tatum’s been thrown out of a game for a disapproving expression toward an official’s call. First, against the New York Knicks last season and then again during a matchup with the 76ers. Both times, Tatum was chatting while maintaining a calm demeanor.

“Even if I was right, they can go back and talk about it after the game, its not like we get that game back. I don’t get that time back,” Tatum explained after his second ejection, back in December, per NBC Sports Boston. “It’s unfortunate but like I said, I can’t change what happened. Just how players, we compete and affect the game, the refs have an affect on the game. They threw me out. Right or wrong, it’s their word against ours.”

Contrary to popular belief, Tatum highlighted that no “magic words,” a.k.a. naughty language, was used when speaking to the officials. And typically, dropping a four-letter expletive has proven to be the straw that (always) breaks the camel’s back when it comes to pleading an in-game case with referees of any league, especially in the NBA.

In Boston’s case specifically, referees haven’t been the sharpest in terms of ensuring the outcome of a game didn’t fall in the hands of a miscall.

During a matchup with the Pacers on Jan. 9, officials botched two calls which put the Celtics at a disadvantage, allowing Indiana to trot to a 133-131 win. Boston head coach Joe Mazzulla knew the referees dropped the ball, and the last two-minute report released the following day backed the Celtics.

The one constant in every instance where an official makes a mess is simple: there’s no accountability. However, players are held to a standard in which they must contain their emotions with the looming threat of being fined — sometimes heavily. That double standard enables officials to continuously blow calls and eject players at any moment on the premise of an emotional motive rather than logic.

Tatum will take the floor as an Eastern Conference starter during Sunday night’s All-Star Game, defending his MVP award after scoring an NBA-record 55 points in last season’s annual exhibition.