Over the last five or six years, I stopped watching sports shows because they’re all about clickbaiting materials. 

Sure, some can be entertaining, but when hosts are – admittedly – not being truthful with themselves, it turns me away and I rely on my own thoughts. 

At least, I try to.

Every now and then, when I’m scrolling through X, formerly known as Twitter, there’s always some “hot take” about Jayson Tatum. 

Notice the quotation marks?

Not fit to lead, not a top-10 player, not clutch, not MVP-caliber – I’ve heard it all.

However, after this season, all of those questions can be put to bed… I think, and hope. 

We’re almost a month away from when Boston defeated the Dallas Mavericks to claim banner 18. Since then, the media has been a bit quiet regarding Tatum. 

I mean, to quote the man himself, “What they gonna say now?”

He is an NBA champion, led Boston in scoring, assists, and rebounds during the Finals, just signed a five-year, $314 million supermax extension, was just named the “NBA 2K25” cover athlete, and is now with Team USA, looking to claim the gold medal in Paris. 

All that said, it’s been a great start to the offseason for Tatum, and the critics have been quiet. There was that one Shaq comment in which he basically said the Celtics’ journey to the Finals was easy.

They need to repeat for credibility, according to Shaq.

“Their road was too easy, so when their road stiffens up and they don’t win, then that statement will be verified. Now, if they win next year, with all these teams healthy, you’ve got to give them their respect,” he said. “But, you know how us haters and us commentators do. OK, you got one. Win two.”

The thing is, I’m pretty sure Shaq picked the Celtics to win a few series, so it’s funny how the media can just flip-flop whenever it wants. 

Again, it’s probably just because he knows he’ll get more clicks doubting the Celtics, rather than praising them.

“It’s not their fault players got hurt,” might say a smart person. 

Porzingis missed the majority of the playoffs, and the Finals, because he was hurt – funny how no one talks about that, though.

Anyway, as Tatum said the other day, regarding his critics: 

“There are still a lot of things I guess they can debate, but I’ve done some things they can’t debate: I won a championship,” he said. “I did it at the highest level. So, having that under my belt, obviously, there’s still conversations to be had or whatever people want to say, but they’ve always got to refer to me as an NBA champion.”

Boston reloaded, re-signing Derrick White, Tatum, Xavier Tillman, and Luke Kornet. It also picked up the option on Sam Hauser, essentially meaning the Celtics will be rolling with the same team that won it all a few weeks ago.

At the end of the day, if it’s the media that motivates Tatum, then I guess I can deal with listening to Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith, should it mean we get to another Finals next year. 

I’m a team player.