There is a lot of pressure on Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics right now.
That will come for any team that reached but lost the NBA Finals recently.
But with the way Tatum and his team have been performing this year, the expectations only grow.
Kendrick Perkins put even more on Tatum’s shoulders Friday when he said the star Celtics player needs to win it all this season.
“With Giannis and the Bucks being out, he has zero excuses [not to win a championship this season],” Perkins said on First Take.
"[Jayson Tatum] has ZERO excuses [not to win a championship this season]."
—@KendrickPerkins pic.twitter.com/PXi9wLjX82
— First Take (@FirstTake) May 5, 2023
The Celtics had one of their best seasons ever last year, pushing through the competition all the way to the NBA Finals.
They lost that series to the Golden State Warriors and the defeat was painful.
Numerous reports in the summer said that Tatum took the loss hard and spent his offseason focusing on his physicality and his game.
He was adamant about getting even better and propelling his team back to the championship.
2022-23 has been great for Tatum and he has averaged 30.1 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 4.6 assists on 46.6% from the field.
So far in this postseason, he is putting up 26.1 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 5 assists.
Tatum isn’t the only star on the team, which Perkins said is even more reason why the Celtics should win the Finals.
Others like Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, Robert Williams, and more are playing hard alongside Tatum.
They can collectively build a championship team, Perkins said.
The Celtics are currently playing against the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round of the playoffs.
If they can push past them, they will be one step closer to the Finals and perhaps one step closer to making Perkins and others happy.
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