After years of dismissive remarks, including dubbing Jayson Tatum “The Password” for his supposedly forgettable presence, analyst Colin Cowherd has finally changed his stance.
The shift comes as Tatum continues to silence critics with his play and, perhaps more importantly, his approach to the game.
This week, Cowherd offered a surprising endorsement of Tatum on his podcast, focusing not just on statistics but on the forward’s mentality and work ethic that sets him apart in today’s NBA.
“If your star shows up every night, the rest of the team falls in line. Forget load management, I want lead management—and Jayson Tatum, he’s that guy. I’ve been to three or four Celtics games. He’s always the first guy on the floor in warmups. Locked in, both ends. He’s not coasting, not pacing himself. He plays—and plays hard—every single night. That’s a big deal. No, I don’t think he’s quite the face of the league yet, but he might be the heartbeat. The Celtics’ best player is also their hardest worker,” Cowherd remarked on The Volume.
Colin calls Tatum the NBA’s ‘heartbeat’ for playing hard every night while others load manage
“He's always the first guy on the floor in warmups. Locked in both ends. He's not coasting, not pacing himself. He plays and plays hard every single night.“
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— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) March 30, 2025
The praise comes amid growing concerns about load management across the NBA.
Cowherd points out that despite the league’s efforts, including the 65-game minimum for award eligibility, star players treating regular-season games as optional has damaged fan interest and league appeal.
Yet in Boston, this trend hasn’t taken hold.
The Celtics have established a culture where availability matters, starting with Tatum.
While resting players has become standard practice elsewhere, Tatum joins a select group, including Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Anthony Edwards, who approach playing as their default expectation, not a burden to avoid.
Cowherd suggests that if the NBA can’t solve the load management problem through rules, it might be players like Tatum who ultimately shift the league’s culture back toward consistency.
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