Did Chris Russo Underestimate Celtics’ Jayson Tatum In NBA Hierarchy?

Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum has put together another exceptional season, leading his team to the top spot in the Eastern Conference and another playoff berth.

For most of the campaign, Tatum has played like one of the best players in the league, getting the respect and criticism through the ups and downs as such for the Celtics.

ESPN’s Chris Russo assessed where Tatum ranks among the NBA’s best players during another All-Star campaign in which he has scored over 27 points per game. Compared to other opinions around the league, Russo isn’t as sold on Tatum.

“If you look at the top 10 players in the league, where do you put Tatum?” Russo discussed on “First Take” on Wednesday. “Seven or eight?”

Russo believes that Tatum is still a tier below other NBA starts such as LeBron James, Nikola Jokic, Kevin Durant and Steph Curry.

“Before you even dig into it, he’s no better than No. 7,” Russo added.

Russo believes the separator for Tatum has been in his postseason performance, arguing that outside of his clutch Game 6 against the Milwaukee Bucks in 2022 and Game 7 against the Philadelphia 76ers in 2023, that the Celtics forward has failed to push the Celtics to their peak.

Tatum’s postseason outlook is probably brighter than that, though he will get another chance to deliver for the Celtics as Boston prepares for another deep playoff run.