It's Sad To See That Lonzo Ball Currently Suffers From An Extreme Case Of Jayson Tatum Derangement Syndrome

Brian Babineau. Getty Images.

Now that Jayson Tatum is officially #back, there is a lot to be excited about. Given that upon his immediate return last season he looked to be about 95% of the player we saw before the injury (22/10/5 in the regular season and 23/11/7 in the playoffs), now with an extended offseason where he's been fully allowed to train, there's no reason to think we aren't in store for another monster All NBA 1st Team/MVP caliber season. 

Unfortunately, with Tatum now back in the mix it also means the return of something that Celts fans have had to deal with for nearly a decade, which is Jayson Tatum Derangement Syndrome. I am a firm believer that how someone views and talks about Jayson Tatum as a basketball player tells you a lot about them. It's one of the easiest litmus tests we have when it comes to ball knowledge. As a quick reminder:

JAYSON TATUM’S RÉSUMÉ  

- 1× NBA Champion — 2024  

- 6× NBA All-Star  
- 5× All-NBA 4× All-NBA First Team consecutively from 2022-25  
- 2022 Eastern Conference Finals MVP  
- 2023 All-Star Game MVP  
- 2× Olympic Gold Medalist  
- 2 NBA Finals appearances — 2022, 2024  
- 5 Eastern Conference Finals appearances — 2018, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024 
- Tatum had 2,711 playoff points before turning 27, the most ever by a player through age 26, passing Kobe Bryant’s 2,694. - LeBron was third at 2,578. 

He already has one of the best resumes ever at his age

and if I could just add a few more

You get the idea. 

Yet despite you know, what has actually happened on the basketball court, there is this obsession with trying to pretend like his entire career hasn't existed. That's the easiest way to spot when someone suffers from Jayson Tatum Derangement Syndrome in my opinion. 

Which brings me to Lonzo Ball. Now I get it, in today's media landscape it's all about going on a podcast and saying crazy shit, having hot takes, and then going viral or whatever. The game is the game, as they say. But I'm sorry, this might be one of the worst takes I have ever heard when it comes to Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Celtics history, all of it

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Now let me be very clear about something. Jaylen Brown is 100000000000000000000000000% getting his #7 retired, and it's absolutely a well-earned honor. That's not the take I'm talking about. My issue of course is what Lonzo Ball seems to think when it came to the Tatum/Brown comparison and then Brown's ranking in terms of all-time Celtics.

THAT, was textbook Jayson Tatum Derangement Syndrome. 

I get it, Lonzo is still very clearly butthurt that despite being drafted higher than Tatum and the fact that Tatum has lapped his career. Let's not forget, Kobe Bryant himself couldn't understand why the Lakers passed on Tatum to take Lonzo, so you know that's where this all probably stems from and usually where a lot of the Jayson Tatum Derangement Syndrome examples come from. Jealousy. 

Because let's be very clear about something. While Jaylen Brown is a Celtics legend, first ballot HOFer, and will ultimately one day see his number in the rafters, he is not a better basketball player than Jayson Tatum no matter how you slice it, and I say this as someone who is very much pro-Jaylen Brown. It's possible to do that while, ya know, staying on planet Earth. 

Unfortunately for Lonzo, this is one of the symptoms when it comes to Jayson Tatum Derangement Syndrome. Sure, what Lonzo said might be true if you just pretend Tatum's entire career hasn't happened, but unfortunately it has. Part of why this shit is annoying is that all it does is set up Jaylen Brown for slander, which is lame. It's possible to celebrate both players without saying shit like this, but now that they are finally broken up, my guess is this type of shit will only continue.

And when it comes to their all time rankings in Celtics history? That take may be even worse, and I say that as someone who has the credentials to back it up

I wrote that blog back in 2022 when the Celtics asked me to be part of the media group that list together, and since then things have obviously changed for both Jaylen and Tatum. At the time, we were tasked with filling out the top 15 Celtics of all time into 3 teams, and this is where my ballot landed using the following criteria

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1. Did they win a title?

2. Are they in the Hall Of Fame?

3. Did they play at least 6 seasons in Boston?

4. Were they part of the NBA's Top 75?

Since that blog, Tatum and Brown obviously won a ring, made some All NBA teams etc, so if I were to do this again I'd probably bump someone like Dennis Johnson and put Tatum on the 2nd team, moving KC Jones down a spot.

With Jaylen, he's probably on the fringe of the Top 15, somewhere in the 16-20 range. He's 10th all time in points, 3rd all time in 3PM, 7th all time in steals, has the ECF and Finals MVP, a couple of All NBAs (2nd and 3rd team) so that feels about right to me. I'm just not sure who you are putting him ahead of on that list.

As you can see above, in no way shape or form is Jaylen Brown a top 5 Celtic of all time, and I don't even think that's a slight against him. For whatever reason, Lonzo Ball thinks Celtics history only dates back to 1980? I am of the belief that following his title, we're JUST now seeing Tatum move ahead of Paul Pierce, and considering Brown is the lesser player and not as accomplished, I'm not sure how Lonzo's ordering works. 

If we just wanted to talk wings? OK, you have Larry, Hondo, Tatum and Pierce right off the rip. Again, this is not a slight. These are literally a collection of some of the greatest players in NBA history. 

Sadly, this is the world we live in. Someone goes on a podcast who is clearly upset and butthurt when it comes to Tatum and says some ridiculous shit that either:

A) Adds fuel to the weird NBA Twitter hate towards Jayson Tatum

B) Leads to Jaylen Brown being shit on for no reason

I guess this is what everyone wanted after nearly a decade of trying to split them up, but now that it's actually happened I can say with confidence that I hate every bit of it. It's totally possible to be truthful about each player while also appreciating each guy! They are both Celtics legends. Fact. Tatum is the better player, also fact. That's OK! That doesn't mean Jaylen Brown sucks, he was still an incredible Celtic who will rightfully see his number raised to the rafters.

So please keep Lonzo Ball in your prayers because, as history has shown, there is no cure for Jayson Tatum Derangement Syndrome. Once you're that far gone, I'm afraid there's no coming back.