LeBron James in the premiere episode of the blockbuster podcast ‘Mind The Game’ had some words of encouragement for Jayson Tatum. Much of that encouragement also came with sincere advice to the audience to have more empathy for the Boston Celtics superstar:

“He’s only 25. And I believe he’s been to the conference finals 4 times and the NBA Finals once. He’s only 25. I didn’t get my first ring until I was 28. I think Joker (Nikola Jokic) got his first ring at 27. I think Michael Jordan got his first at 28… I think there’s a lot of expectations on Jayson Tatum, but he’s had a lot of success in his career. And of course, everyone wants to see him reach his full potential, but going to the conference finals 4 times and playing in the Finals before 26 is pretty incredible” – LeBron James on Jayson Tatum.

From the share above, we see LeBron James encouraging Jayson Tatum with words that resonate like an older brother speaking to a younger one facing storms. LeBron James himself, when he reached his first-ever NBA Finals, was swept 4-0 by the San Antonio Spurs. Even with the creation of the Miami Heat super team, it took until his second year in South Beach for LeBron James to get his first ring. It took LeBron James a decade from entering the NBA to winning a championship, undoubtedly experiencing his fair share of setbacks, similar to what Jayson Tatum is currently going through.

One of the areas where Jayson Tatum is often criticized by many fans is his performance in clutch moments, sometimes not making decisions as ‘smartly’ as a superstar should. However, Jayson Tatum is surrounded by players who excel in clutch moments, such as Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, and Jaylen Brown, who also have unexpected shining moments. This is reminiscent of many championship moments for LeBron James, which are closely associated with Ray Allen and Kyrie Irving’s game-winning shots.

In addition to LeBron James’s insights above, are we perhaps being too harsh and failing to recognize what Jayson Tatum has achieved? Or is it because Jayson Tatum is associated with the Boston Celtics, the most successful franchise in NBA history, that he’s always expected to succeed immediately, to always succeed like the peak eras of past legends?

Certainly, opinions that Tatum’s salary is too high will come with expectations, but LeBron James’s perspective brings a greater sense of empathy to those expectations.