Is Jayson Tatum a leading candidate for the 2024-25 regular season MVP award? Everyone knew the debate would continue throughout the season but one recent incident has spiced it up – a poll. That’s what ESPN’s Tim Bontemps did earlier this week. Since he made his MVP straw poll public, the Boston fans have taken offense over the placement of their favorite JT in the ranking. But now, with the city behind him, Tatum has opened up about his opinion on the recent development.

The ESPN Insider’s perspective had very little effect on Tatum, who said, “I’m on a really, really good team. There’s so many talented players that I’m probably not going to put up the same numbers as some of those other guys and that’s perfectly fine with me, especially what we did in June last year.” JT had previously mentioned this and emphasized it once again, “That’s the main focus, not me winning MVP, but for us to play at a high level and compete for championships year in and year out.”

While discussing the MVP poll, Bontemps placed the small forward in the fourth spot on the list. “Jayson Tatum is an incredible player and the Celtics are a great team. But they’re focused on June,” he said justifying his view. “He’s not putting up the numbers. These other guys are. They play an egalitarian style there. He’s not forcing numbers like that. I just don’t think that it’s going to be a scenario.”

The Celtics have already made it clear that their goal this season is to secure another championship title. So naturally, their main focus is on June. However, claiming that JT is not putting up numbers is a bit much, as the 26-year-old is averaging 28.8 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 5.7 assists so far, that’s hardly the definition of “not putting up numbers.” Tim Bontemps’ colleague, Brian Windhorst, shared a similar view about Tatum, who referred to his teammate Jaylen Brown as the “driving force” of the Celtics.

Even last season, Tatum was in the title race but wasn’t widely regarded as one of the top MVP contenders. Nevertheless, he has always prioritized team success over individual achievement. While the ESPN Insiders may not be in the 5-time All-Star’s favor, he did receive support from the Celtics’ locker room.

Support arrives for Jayson Tatum after his greatness is overlooked

If there’s someone strongly standing behind Jayson Tatum and offering support, it’s the Celtics head coach, Joe Mazzulla. Following their victory against the Bulls, the MVP conversation came up in the postgame press conference.