Bill Russell didn't do it. Larry Bird didn't do it. But Jayson Tatum does it - all the time. When he gets frustrated on the court, his arms-in-the-air gesturing after calls and no-calls has got to stop.
The NBA has become a player's League, and it just may be that coach Joe Mazzulla is reluctant to penalize his best player for his actions. I have labeled Jayson as a "transcendent" NBA player, but I have grown tired of his act. Next time it occurs, I would like to see Mazzulla call an immediate timeout and sub someone else in for Tatum.
The Duke product is one of the smoothest and skilled players ever to take to he parquet, and he has displayed a more-physical form this season. But he is overly-sensitive to being buffeted and man-handled - and responds as such to the officials. He has earned a reputation as a "whiner" because of it.
This kind of frustrated gesturing is not the sign of an on-court leader. We never saw much of it in Russ, Larry, Cowens, Havlicek, Garnett, etc. Time to see far less of it from the guy that is supposed to be the on-court leader of one of the top teams in the NBA. The season is young. Time to end it, Jayson!
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