Jayson Tatum Declares Himself Most Skilled Player In The NBA

Jayson Tatum believes he’s the most skilled player in the NBA. No, I’m not kidding.

The Boston Celtics forward was asked to list who he believes are the top five most skilled players in the league. Filled to the brim with unfounded confidence and overinflated ego, Tatum ranked himself as number one.

The rest of his list was equally as questionable.

Mind you, Tatum leaves out Nikola Jokic, Lebron James, Steph Curry, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard, and a host of other players who are 10 times more skilled than him. With all due respect, Paul George and Devin Booker don’t belong on this list either. 

But the most outrageous entry on Tatum’s list is himself at number one.

Jayson Tatum Does Not Belong At The Top Of His List

Simply put, Tatum is far from the league’s most skilled player. He possesses an incredibly distinct - and average - skillset: creating offense for himself out of isolation plays. It’s what made him famous at Duke and got him to the league.

However, he doesn’t provide much else beyond that. Tatum’s preferred style of play is to get the ball one-on-one at the end of a possession, waste lots of time, and try one of three moves: a fadeaway, sidestep three, or drive middle and try to sell a foul call.

While he is an exceptional player, Tatum (0) is far from the most skilled player in the NBA. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)

Oftentimes, he won’t pass because he tries too hard to score. He’s never averaged more than 4.6 assists per game in his career (because he hardly passes), and his dribbling is mediocre. Oh, and he also plays lackluster defense.

And yet somehow, he claims to be more skilled than everyone else in the NBA. But hey, others have gotta make way for number one, right?

The Celtics could give Tatum an unprecedented supermax deal after the conclusion of this season. Hopefully, he’ll add to his skillset and become worthy of that a massive contract.