Why Brandon Jennings' Jayson Tatum tirade is everything wrong with NBA discourse

01/09/2025 10:56 AM

Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum boasts a resume that speaks for itself. He’s now an NBA champion and a five-time All-Star, with a sixth selection likely on the way. And yet, former Milwaukee Bucks scorer Brandon Jennings wants more from him.

While discussing the three-time All-NBA First Teamer, Jennings argued that Tatum is “soft” and not as intimidating as reigning NBA Finals MVP Jaylen Brown and other Celtics legends, via the “Gil’s Arena” podcast.

“Is he the softest Boston Celtics superstar ever?” Jennings inquired. “What do we know about Boston Celtics players? Like anybody that put on a Boston Celtics jersey from the 80s on up. They what? They cutthroat, right?”

“If you're so tough, why you didn't get Finals MVP last year?” he continued. “Why you let your running mate do it? If you so tough. If you so all this. Why you didn't get it?”

BJ: "Is [Jayson Tatum] the softest Boston Celtics superstar ever?"

Gil: "Whoever saying he's soft… that's a soft ass 28ppg he's averaging. Go on out there and get your head bust!"

Brandon Jennings gets the Arena to crash out over his Jayson Tatum take pic.twitter.com/bwuEleCRB4

— Gilbert Arenas (@GilsArenaShow) January 5, 2025

Former NBA journeyman Nick Young shared Jennings’ opinion and added fuel to the fire.

“He sit back too much and let people talk about him,” Young said of Jayson Tatum. “That ain't being professional, that's being soft sometimes.”

These comments quickly went viral on social media, as the joint rant about Tatum racked up 1.2 million views (and counting) on X.

What does this Jayson Tatum conversation reveal about how the modern NBA is discussed?

Incendiary words generating clicks is nothing new in the basketball world. However, Jennings’ words serve as a solid example of everything that’s wrong with NBA discourse.

Instead of being content with today’s league, which features players who are more skilled and exciting than ever, talking heads complain and find the need to constantly compare. Jayson Tatum can’t just succeed in the modern era, he needs to be juxtaposed with past greats and even Brown, a trusted Celtics teammate he’s shared the court with for nearly a decade.

The easy thing to do is to critique the messengers and use their own shortcomings to block out what they’re saying. Jennings and Young were solid in the Association, yet neither was ever an All-Star. In fact, neither California native averaged over 20 points per game in a season—and they played a combined 22 seasons. Meanwhile, Tatum has averaged over 23 points per outing in his last five seasons with the Celtics and looks primed to do it again (and potentially crack 30 points per game for the second time in his career).

Brandon Jennings career highlights (updated):

1) 55 point game
2) High school career
3) @jaytatum0 acknowledging his dumbass take on Instagram pic.twitter.com/9mZYmKyD6I

— Drew Hanlen (@DrewHanlen) January 9, 2025

Regardless of accolades, everybody is entitled to an opinion, especially in the era of social media. Unfortunately, social media has arguably impacted NBA discourse for the worse. It’s become an online shouting contest and the loudest, and sometimes most obnoxious, voices prevail.

Some fans and media personalities are spoiled, expecting obvious excitement all the time and failing to appreciate greatness unless it’s at the top of their feeds or in prime time. In a noisy world, people can overlook excellence if it’s not flashy and in their face.

What Jennings, Young, and plenty of others fail to understand is that Tatum’s brilliance is often understated, and that’s not a bad thing. Of course, the Celtics first-round draft pick can be showy with a smooth crossover or a tough fadeaway bucket, yet he also excels at the little things. Whether he’s breaking down defenses by making the right pass or soaring for rebounds, Tatum has shown that he does the unglamorous work in basketball just as well as the heralded activities.

Because social media prioritizes flamboyance and flash, these underrated (yet vital) parts of the game are forgotten. Jennings’ initial tirade glosses over the nuances of winning basketball and only focuses on scoring and taking over a contest with no help from others—as if that’s the only way to dominate.

Told Tatum about the numbers that show #Celtics have fared better when his usage goes up: "It's not constructed for me to dominate the ball or the game night in and night out … that's not the way we play."

He did say there are exceptions to that: pic.twitter.com/oJnIyH4tfG

— Bobby Manning (@RealBobManning) January 7, 2025

To make matters even worse, Jennings isn’t the only guilty party. NBA coverage on the whole does this. Pointing out obvious greatness is easy, so media personalities and producers get lazy and solely focus on that. As fun as TNT’s Inside the NBA is, the crew falls victim to talking about the same players and complaining about the on-court product if it’s not “entertaining” enough.

I think my brain melted https://t.co/AKB1SABf8Ipic.twitter.com/7yDEzy9CFY

— Dan Greenberg (@StoolGreenie) January 3, 2025

Plus, nobody can be satisfied with what they just saw—every current star needs a comparison to a different player and something is exciting until the next best thing comes along minutes later. Part of that is due to social media and how fast the news cycle moves. Another part of it is laziness and people wanting everything and everybody to be over-the-top and pointed out to them rather than subtle.

In a sport increasingly reliant on social media, fans and former players like Jennings and Young can’t seem to appreciate greatness unless it’s hitting them over the head. Moreover, Tatum’s calmness is mistaken for weakness and being “soft,” even though there’s nothing soft about being a defending champ.

NBA discourse needs some more nuance, and while the majority often lacks it, there are some sources out there still breaking down the game the way it deserves. You just have to go out and find them.

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