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Jayson Tatum Reacts To Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley’s All-Star Reserve List

Published 02/21/2021, 11:13 AM EST

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USA Today via Reuters

As soon as the official starters of the All-Star Game were announced, there was chatter everywhere about who should at least make it to the reserves. While most people still can’t believe that Luka Doncic got picked over Damian Lillard in the starting five, there is still some sense of certainty about Jayson Tatum at least being in the reserves. Although the official list isn’t out yet, hardly anyone has their doubts about this.

However, some former NBA players didn’t share the same opinion. In fact, when they revealed their top picks for the All-Star reserves for each conference, Tatum wasn’t on it. And while some might take have taken that offensively, Tatum was unaffected.

Jayson Tatum couldn’t care less

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With everyone’s thoughts pouring in about the All-Star reserve list, Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal also gave their two cents. But what was surprising was that neither of the two took Jayson’s name. Tatum had made it to the reserves last year as well, and it was a no-brainer for most about his fate this time.

But even though Shaq and Barkley didn’t include him, Tatum respected their opinion. He stated, “I mean, I’m sure some people last year didn’t have me on there… But, I mean, everybody has their own respective opinion.”

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He also made it clear that he wasn’t even aware of this until it was just mentioned to him. “I mean, I didn’t see it. So everybody has their opinion on who they think should make it. There’s a lot of guys that deserve to make it. And we’ll see.”

USA Today via Reuters

Should the Celtics star expect to make it?

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Tatum ended up missing five games for the Boston Celtics after he tested positive for COVID-19. In fact, he hasn’t been his very best since then, but is still a vital part of the team’s success so far.

He is averaging 25.8 points, 7 rebounds, and 4.8 assists while shooting 45 percent from the floor. Boston is fourth in the Eastern Conference right now, with a record of 15-14. So far, they look like title contenders and will hopefully get past the conference finals this year.

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Read also- Three Reasons Why The Boston Celtics Have Been Struggling Lately

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Written by:

Yashima Bhatia

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Yashima Bhatia is an NBA writer for EssentiallySports who specialises in providing nuanced predictions and updates for matches. She has a Bachelor's degree in journalism and mass communication. Yashima's love for playing the game came up at a young age, when the excitement of the games coupled with the intensity of the Playoffs had her hooked.
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