Jayson Tatum believes he’s the best player in the NBA and it RULES

Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum turned some heads on Tuesday when he told ESPN’s Malika Andrews that he believes that he’s the best player on the floor every single night.

When asked who he thinks the best player in the NBA is, he responded simply.

“Myself.”

JT went on to explain his answer, saying that he has tons of respect for the league’s other stars, but ultimately that he feels like the best player every night.

“I got a lot respect for a lot guys in the league,” Tatum told Andrews. “Giannis (Antetokounmpo) for sure. (Nikola) Jokic, obviously he just won. (Joel) Embiid, uys that have won MVPs. The list goes on. I truly do believe every night I step on the floor, I’m the best player.”

Whether or not YOU believe Jayson Tatum is the best basketball player on the planet DOES NOT MATTER. Whether or not I believe Jayson Tatum is be best basketball player on the planet DOES NOT MATTER.

What matters is that he, a bona fide top-10 player in the league, takes the court for the Celtics every night with the confidence that he’s better than anyone else who’s lacing ‘em up that day.

And that’s how he should think. There’s no argument against it. His job is to go out there, give Boston his best effort, and put the team in a position to win basketball games. Whether he has to do it by scoring, setting up his teammates, or locking in on the defensive end, he needs to believe that he’s going to do it better than anyone.

We’ve all seen Tatum score for years. It’s been the strongest part of his game ever since he came into the league. He’s had numerous offensive outbursts in big moments, yet still gets criticized for not being a big-game player because of the 2022 NBA Finals — something that he feels happened for a reason.

“I’m a big believer in everything happens for a reason,” he said to Andrews. “Maybe I needed to go through that for something — haven’t figured that out yet.”

His chat with Andrews was one of Tatum’s many media appearances over this All-Star break. Another one of his interviews was with The Athletic’s Jared Weiss. It was there that he discussed his growth as a playmaker and how the way he thinks about the game has changed.

“As good we are, they’re still going to try to double-team me,” Tatum told Weiss. “It’s all about just getting that pick, I draw two on me, throw it over the top to Jrue (Holiday) or (Derrick) White, and they kick it to open shooters. If we do that four or five times in a row, they have to change what they’re doing.”

No. 0’s growth as a decision-maker has been on full display this season. The sheer amount of talent surrounding him is nice, yes, but also requires a higher level of thinking and reading the room.

There’s no greater example of how Tatum has fully embraced this than in the team’s recent win down in Miami. He nearly notched a triple-double, logging 26 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists. In the process, he turned the ball over just once.

Sure, he was the game’s high scorer, but he was the best all-around player on the floor that day.

Circling back to his ability to defend, Tatum said before the season that he was aiming to be selected to one of the league’s All-Defensive teams. It’s a message that he’s continued to echo throughout the season.

“I have no idea how the voters view our defense individually,” Tatum told reporters after Boston’s Dec. 14 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. “Just try to do your job every single day. Take pride. Our best players on our team, we don’t hedge, we don’t show. We switch, we take pride in guarding whoever it is. And that’s big for our team not having any weak links.”

Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images

Though this has been a season filled with excellent wins, the former Duke star’s most impressive defensive outing may have come in a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The game wound up being close, but it was a pretty frustrating watch for the majority of the night. The young Thunder were having their way with the Cs and seemed to be getting every look that they wanted.

Then, in the fourth quarter, it was Tatum who stepped up to guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. OKC’s main man finished the period with just three points, missing all three of his attempts from the field.

So yeah, Tatum might come off as overconfident by saying he believes he’s the best in the world. But, he’s certainly walked the walk all season long. He’s led by example in all facets of the game and has truly taken his effort and skills to the next level.

Who cares if people are trolling him online, the ones on the court can’t do much to slow him down.