Stephen A. Smith calls out Jayson Tatum's lack of consideration for MVP-caliber season

Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics are headed to the NBA playoffs as the second seed in the Eastern Conference following a 61-21 campaign. The reigning champs secured back-to-back 60-win seasons for the first time since 2008-09.

Entering the postseason, Boston has been given the second-best odds to win the championship, according to DraftKings, ranked only behind the Oklahoma City Thunder. One constant throughout the Celtics' 2024-25 campaign has been the consistent play of Jayson Tatum, who quietly posted one of the best single-season stat lines of his career.

Despite posting career-highs in 3s made and assists per game, Tatum has garnered minimal Most Valuable Player consideration in the shadows of players like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic.

Many have spoken out in favor of Tatum's memorable campaign, including Stephen A. Smith, who argued in favor of the sixth-time All-Star and probable All-NBA selection on Thursday's episode of First Take.

"It's a lack of appreciation for what this guy brings to the table," Smith said. "To be an All-NBA player the last four years, to average at least 23 points a game the last six seasons. ... He's a champion. Five Eastern Conference Finals appearances, two NBA Finals appearances, an NBA Championship."

Smith also credited Tatum for his quiet nature off the court and for maintaining a clean track record in his personal life during his argument.

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Jayson Tatum, Celtics to take on Orlando Magic in first-round matchup

After taking down the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference Play-In matchup to determine the seventh seed in the playoffs, the Orlando Magic advanced to the postseason, where they will take on Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs. Orlando enters the series matchup off a 41-41 record, falling behind as a massive underdog versus Boston.

According to ESPN Bet, the Celtics are a staggering 14.5-point favorite over the Magic in Game One of the series on Sunday night. Boston ended the year on a 13-3 stretch to close the regular season, entering the postseason with back-to-back wins over the Charlotte Hornets.

Boston will look to advance to the second round as quickly as possible, where they take on the winner of the Detroit Pistons-New York Knicks series. Jayson Tatum and the Celtics are looking to repeat as champions for the first time since 1967-68 and 1968-69.