Jayson Tatum hate is out of control and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander proves it

On Sunday night, Jayson Tatum struggled. The Boston Celtics welcomed the Orlando Magic to town for Game 1 of their first-round playoff series, but Tatum failed to show off his best stuff. The Celtics star finished the night with 17 points, 14 rebounds, and four assists, but shot just 8-of-22 from the floor and 1-of-8 from behind the arc.

Last postseason, Tatum’s shooting struggles were a very hot topic of conversation, and it all carried over into the summer when he failed to earn regular playing time on Team USA during the Olympics. Fans have been very quick to criticize Tatum for his poor shooting.

Especially when the Celtics pick up his slack.

People hated on Jayson Tatum's rough Game 1 but ignored Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's

Despite Tatum’s off night, the Celtics earned a dominant win over the Magic in Game 1, picking up a 103-86 victory. Derrick White scored 30 points, and Payton Pritchard added 19 of his own off the bench.

Immediately, social media jumped to call out Tatum for getting carried by his team. People decided to knock Tatum for still managing to win games even when he has a rough night, using the logic to claim that he’s not as good as he’s billed to be.

But that logic is completely flawed, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander even proved that Tatum gets overhated.

In the Oklahoma City Thunder’s opening game of the 2025 playoffs, they absolutely destroyed the Memphis Grizzlies, earning a 131-80 win. But Gilgeous-Alexander didn’t shoot the ball well at all.

He shot just 4-of-13 from the field and 1-of-7 from behind the arc. Yet nobody seemed to care about that. Only when Tatum won in spite of his rough shooting was the issue pointed out.

And regardless of that, the people who choose to look at the argument that way are pointing fingers in the wrong places. Rather than critizing Tatum, or Gilgeous-Alexander, for that matter, they should be praising Brad Stevens (and Sam Presti).

Why should Tatum get slandered because the Celtics have done a phenomenal job of building a great team around him? The Minnesota Timberwolves or Los Angeles Lakers losing when Anthony Edwards, Luka Doncic, or LeBron James don’t play as well doesn’t prove their greatness or lack thereof as much as it proves their teams’ inability to build a competent roster.

The same logic should be applied to Tatum. And the fact that social media hated on him for his showing but ignored Gilgeous-Alexander’s performance just proves how out of hand the dislike of the Celtics star has gotten.