"If you took the name and the face away..." - Jayson Tatum gets brutally honest on feeling underappreciated despite his success with Celtics

Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum has experienced historic success throughout his career, racking accolades and awards. However, when talking about how the basketball world views him, the 26-year-old opened up about the lack of respect he has received despite his achievements.

Tatum is one of the premier young stars in the NBA and is a candidate to become the face of the league when legends like LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant are ready to pass the torch. His resume makes him a top candidate, as does playing with the Celtics. The star forward already has a championship and three All-NBA first-team appearances.

Washington Post's Michael Lee spoke with Tatum on Tuesday. The Boston star discussed how his name makes his achievements seem less impressive. He said that if he were anonymous, he would receive much more praise.

"Honestly, no…" Tatum said when asked if he was appreciated. "If you took the name and the face away from all my accomplishments and you’re just like, ‘This is what this Player A accomplished at 26,’ people would talk about me a lot differently."

When compared to the other rising stars in the NBA, Jayson Tatum is often relegated to the back of the conversation. In MVP conversation this season, Tatum is viewed as a distant third behind Nikola Jokić and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, despite having a comparable stat line and leading the Celtics to one of the best records in the NBA.

Can Jayson Tatum earn himself more respect this postseason?

Jayson Tatum will likely be named to his fourth consecutive All-NBA first-team selection this season, but he and the Boston Celtics have a bigger goal — defending their title.

The reigning NBA champions have cruised through their season so far and have been viewed as one of the title favorites despite lethargic play at some points. Tatum leads a roster tailor-made to make deep playoff runs.

Tatum and All-Star teammate Jaylen Brown led the Celtics in finding their groove lately, winning nine of their last 10 games as they prepare for the postseason. Tatum is averaging 26.8 points, 8.8 rebounds and a career-high 5.7 assists in 54 games this season.

If he can lead the Celtics to back-to-back titles, Jayson Tatum's talent will be hard to ignore as he commands respect around the league.