Despite winning an NBA Finals and an Olympic Gold Medal in 2024, the criticism around Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum hasn’t been more than it is now. However, after receiving all that backlash this offseason, Tatum has done his best effort to respond to the takes with his play on the court.

Through 15 games this season, Tatum is averaging 29.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per contest while having the Celtics as the second-best team in the Eastern Conference. Add in the fact that Tatum and the Celtics recently handed the Cleveland Cavaliers their first loss of the year, some praise has started to come his way from a former Grizzlies player.

On his show “Gils Arena”, three-time All-Star and 11-year NBA veteran Gilbert Arena shared his thoughts on why Tatum shouldn’t have received the blame he has in the past based on how other stars are treated throughout the league.

“His talent got him there [2022 NBA Finals], his team wasn’t ready to win,” Arenas said. “You penalize the young guys for being good and winning early. How is that fair?”

Arenas makes a point to say that young stars like Tatum, Luka Doncic, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander shouldn’t be punished if they make the finals and lose to a veteran team, as was the case when Tatum and the Celtics lost to a veteran Golden State Warriors team in 2022.

Tatum was finally able to get that pressure off his back with a 2024 NBA Championship win, as the Celtics sit at +230 odds to repeat in 2025.

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