The NBA MVP race has been a two-man battle for almost the entire season, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic leading the way. As of now, it looks like Gilgeous-Alexander can run away with the award after Jokic has missed the past few games for the Denver Nuggets, but the battle is not over until the season ends. Though Gilgeous-Alexander may be the best player this season, Jeff Teague thinks that Jayson Tatum should be ranked higher than him.
“It’s no biased either, but Joker is number one for me,” Teague said on the Club 520 Podcast. “Then I’ll take Jayson Tatum, then I’ll take Luka, then I’ll take Shai.”
There have been some narratives floating around this season that Tatum doesn't get the recognition that he deserves despite all that he's accomplished in his career, which has some truth to it. Every year, Tatum puts up big numbers for the Celtics, and he gets them into a deep playoff run. That isn't to take away from anything that Gilgeous-Alexander has done, but he doesn't have the accolades that Tatum has.
Luka Doncic just got to the NBA Finals for the first time in his career last season, but he's been putting up crazy numbers since he got into the league. Some people may be upset with Teague's list, but it makes sense when you look throughout these player's careers instead of one season.
Is Jayson Tatum better than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander?
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Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) drives to the basket against Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) during the second quarter at Paycom Center.
Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
The narrative of Tatum being one of the most disrespected stars in the league may be true because many people don't talk about him the way they should. At just 26 years old, Tatum has one of the most loaded resumes, and he's only going to get better. This season, he's averaging 27.1 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 6.0 assists per game, and the Celtics are second in the Eastern Conference.
Gilgeous-Alexander is having an amazing season and is putting up big numbers every single night. There's no doubt that he should be the frontrunner for the MVP, and there's no doubt that he's been better than Tatum this season. As a whole, or even over just the past few years, Tatum has proved to be one of the top players in the NBA, as he's consistently been in Eastern Conference Finals and two NBA Finals.
Anybody could make an argument for either player on who's the best because they're both playing at a high level, but Tatum has been doing it a bit longer.