Former Celtics star Isaiah Thomas makes bold prediction about Jayson Tatum for 2025 originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
You don’t have to look far to find someone who thinks Boston Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum’s lack of playing time during the 2024 Olympics in Paris will motivate him entering the 2024-25 NBA season.
One of his former teammates wants to go one step further.
Former Celtics star Isaiah Thomas predicted during Saturday’s gold medal game at X that Tatum, who saw 11 minutes of playing time in Team USA’s 98-87 win over France, will win the NBA MVP award next season.
Tatum will be MVP next season!! Watch 👀
— Isaiah Thomas (@isaiahthomas) August 10, 2024
Tatum didn’t play at all in the group stage and the semifinals against Serbia at the Olympics, and he barely played in Saturday’s final.
It was unusual and a bit strange for a player who had just won an NBA title and been an All-NBA first team selection for three years in a row to get so little playing time at the Olympics. It got to the point where several former and current NBA players, like Thomas, felt like they had to step into the fray and defend Tatum.
All in all, this Olympic experience should motivate Tatum, which is good news for the Celtics, who are looking to defend their championship next season.
After winning a title, you’d think Tatum would finally get the respect he deserves from MVP voters. He’s finished in the top six in the voting for the past three years, but never higher than fourth, despite putting up stellar stats on both ends of the court and leading the Celtics to strong win-loss records.
The Celtics were already expected to be title favorites in the 2024-25 season, and now their two best players, Tatum and Jaylen Brown, have all the motivation and fuel they could possibly need.
