Jayson Tatum has been under constant fire from fans and analysts. Whether it’s questions about his leadership or doubts during clutch moments, criticism seems to follow him everywhere. But what’s the real reason behind all the hate? Former Warriors player Matt Barnes might have the answer.

Barnes recently appeared on the N3ON YouTube channel and got straight to the point when asked about the next face of the NBA after LeBron James hangs it up. “I think it’ll be Anthony Edwards, I think it’ll be Luka, I think Jayson Tatum could throw his face in there,” he said. For Barnes, Tatum isn’t just a contender; he’s already in the mix with the league’s best.

But then Barnes dove deeper, calling out the hate Tatum deals with regularly. “Tatum gets a lot of hate for no reason,” Barnes explained. “People hate cuz I just think cuz he’s a pretty boy, he’s light-skinned, pretty boy, he’s got a, you know, a singer wife. They just had… I think there’s a lot of reason to hate on Jayson Tatum, but at the end of the day, that fu-king dude could play. I’m a big fan of Jayson Tatum.”

However, Celtics legend Paul Pierce has a different. He thinks it all comes down to “Celtics hate.” When Team USA coach Steve Kerr benched Tatum during the Olympic opener, Pierce calling it “a slap in the face.”

As Pierce put it, “You feel like an idiot. And then, you try to sit Embiid the next game to justify it… Naah, that ain’t what this was. Just Celtic hate, good old Celtic hate.”

And when it comes to Tatum’s role as a Celtic, Pierce didn’t hold back. Addressing Derrick White and Jrue Holiday getting minutes, he said, “When you are the guy for the Celtics, there’s a lot of hate… No team on planet Earth that Jayson Tatum shouldn’t get minutes on.”

But how did Tatum sustain himself amid all these hates?

Many thought that winning a championship at 26 would silence the critics, but the negativity hasn’t let up. So, how can Jayson Tatum turn this hate into respect? Shaquille O’Neal has a suggestion.

After the Celtics claimed their title, Shaq had some sharp words on The Big Podcast. “Boston had it easy… their road was too easy,” he said of their playoff run.

But for Tatum to earn his respect, O’Neal believes one ring isn’t enough. “It’s going to take another Celtics championship win next year in order to gain his respect,” Shaq added, making it clear the bar is set high for Boston star.

So how does Tatum deal with all the negativity? On the Overtime podcast, Carmelo Anthony’s son Kiyan asked him just that. Tatum’s answer? Perspective.

“You got to look on the flip side,” he told Anthony. “They don’t talk about players that they don’t think are good or capable. You have to have a good support system, have an outlet; this basketball sh-t can get heavy sometimes.”

Now only time will tell if Tatum can turn all the criticism into praise and solidify himself as an NBA legend. For now, he’s staying focused.