Jayson Tatum's superstar status back on trial as troubling playoff trend continues

Meanwhile, in the Celtics-Knicks series, Jalen Brunson has planted himself on the top shelf of the NBA's elite

Before this Celtics vs. Knicks series began, I wrote that New York "arguably" has the best player in this series. With how things have gone, New York taking a 2-0 lead in the most improbable of ways, it feels as though we can drop the "arguably" qualifier and just hand Jalen Brunson his flowers. 2019 2-5 1-3 2020 5-21 1-9 2021 1-1 0-0 2022 4-8 0-1 2023 8-18 5-10 2024 5-17 1-7 2025 2-10 0-4 Total 35-95 (36.8%) 8-34 (23.5%)

That's not a hot take. And it's not just based on this series, either. Brunson is in the highest tier of superstars, even acknowledging the strange reluctance there is to officially stamp him with such status.

There has long been a similar phenomenon happening with Jayson Tatum, the only guy in this series with a case against Brunson, and who has also, despite being on his way to his fourth straight first-team All-NBA nod, found himself consistently bumping into the highest superstar ceiling.