"Not beating the superteam allegations" - NBA fans mock Jayson Tatum as Celtics win despite poor offensive game from MVP candidate

Boston Celtics superstar forward Jayson Tatum struggled during Thursday's 107-89 Game 1 NBA Finals win against the Dallas Mavericks. His poor offensive display left NBA fans questioning his value as a bona fide top-tier player.

Despite playing a game-high 42 minutes, Tatum tallied only 16 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, three 3-pointers and six turnovers on 6-for-16 (37.5%) shooting. He finished as Boston's third-leading scorer, trailing his co-star Jaylen Brown (22 points) and big man Kristaps Porzingis (20 points).

Porzingis outscored Tatum despite being on a minute restriction in his first game since April 29. He spent the last month-plus rehabbing a calf injury he suffered during Game 4 of the Celtics' five-game first-round series victory over the Miami Heat. So, the one-time All-Star was limited to only 21 minutes off the bench.

Following Thursday's blowout home win, in which Boston led by as many as 29 points, StatMuse shared an eye-opening statistic regarding Tatum's playoff struggles. According to the outlet, the Celtics are 5-0 when the five-time All-Star shoots 40.0% or lower this postseason.

The stat led fans on X/Twitter to call out Tatum, with many questioning his value to Boston.

"He is not beating the superteam allegations," @Crumbletakes said.

"Carried as usual," @dgsire said.

"I have never seen a team play better when its 'best player' plays worse," @078Yasser said.

"LeBron [James] used to put up 40 [points], 15 [rebounds] and 10 [assists] and lose. Tatum has it good," @LethalPasquale said.

Some even went as far as to suggest that Tatum is undeserving of any recognition if the Celtics win this year's championship.

"I speak for everyone when I say Tatum doesn’t get any credit if he wins this year," @A5Reallyhim said.

Jayson Tatum will look to bounce back and remind fans of his worth during Sunday's Game 2 showdown in Boston.

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Jayson Tatum on fans expecting him to be a consistent 35-point scorer

While NBA fans seemingly expect Jayson Tatum to be a regular high-volume scorer, according to the 26-year-old, that is not his objective.

During an interview with NBC Sports Boston's Brian Scalabrine ahead of the finals, Tatum touched on his desire to be a well-rounded player. The three-time All-NBA first-team selectee added that he isn't concerned about his scoring output as long as the Celtics win.

"Most importantly, my job on this team is to essentially do everything, and that gives us the best chance to win," Tatum said.

"So, not always being put in a box of just being a scorer. ... People want to see me score 35 [points] every night, but there's just so much more to the game of basketball and so much more that I bring to the table."

Following Thursday's Game 1 victory, Boston is only three wins away from its first title since 2008. With such a well-balanced roster, it may not need a dominant offensive finals performance from Tatum to get the job done.

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