Brian Windhorst Suggesting Jayson Tatum Won't Be Able To Win The 2024 NBA MVP Because He Lost The 2022 NBA Finals And The 2023 Eastern Conference Finals Is Patently Insane

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By now I think it's fair to suggest that we'll never truly have a consistent evaluation process that determines the NBA's MVP. Sometimes it's the best player on the best team, sometimes it's someone throwing up historic numbers, sometimes team success during the year matters for some while other years it suddenly doesn't matter as much for others. Just last year we did the whole "Jokic can't win another regular season MVP because he doesn't have a title yet" thing which is something that still makes no goddamn sense. 

This year, the new 65 game limit could very well answer some of the tough questions for us. For example, the guy with the stats and the team success who has been the leader in the clubhouse so far (Joel Embiid) can only miss like 8 more games the rest of the year, or else he doesn't even qualify for any award or any All NBA spot. Maybe you're someone who is looking at Jokic do Jokic things and Giannis do Giannis things and think it's time to go back to one of the former MVPs/Finals MVPs. Maybe you think this is the year Luka finally gets the nod, given his rather ridiculous on court production. Maybe you think this is the year SGA bursts onto the MVP scene, just like the Thunder have in terms of their overall success. Maybe you think Jayson Tatum, someone putting up MVP caliber production on the team with the best record in the NBA is deserving.

The point is, there are plenty of valid ways someone could make their case for why "Player X" should win. 

But why use those when you could use the Brian Windhorst method?

Yes, the 2024 regular season MVP somehow factors in what happened in the 2022 Finals, and then getting hurt in Game 7 of the 2023 ECF when it comes to Jayson Tatum. Somehow, postseason results dating back two years are suddenly how we should be evaluating Jayson Tatum's 2024 regular season

We're doing it again! Last year it was Jokic's inability to have a championship which was his reason he couldn't win another MVP, and now here we are again being told that because Tatum lost a Finals and didn't win a ring last year, he can't be the MVP this regular season. Meanwhile, JOEL EMBIID was just awarded the MVP. You know, the guy who once again couldn't get out of the second round. So which is it? Everyone else's postseason results matter when it comes to the MVP, but not Embiiid? Someone who has the worst postseason results of everyone?

For the millionth time, why the hell is the topic of postseason basketball being discussed when it comes to the regular season MVP? Did we not just do this last season?!?! It's one thing if it's a troll on Twitter, but these are national media members talking on ESPN. They help shape and create the narrative when it comes to this stuff. That's a much bigger deal than just some anonymous troll on the internet.

And hey, if you were to ask Tatum about this, he'd most likely agree with Windy in the sense that the only thing that matters to him and his team is winning the title

but that still doesn't make Windy's reasoning as to why Tatum wouldn't win this year's MVP blatantly insane. Again, go down the list outside of Jokic and use this same requirement. How has Luka's postseason career looked? 1 WCF loss, a couple first round exits and then missing the playoffs all together? How about SGA? Oh, he's been pretty shitty in his two quick 1st round losses? Surely Embiid made the Finals after winning his MVP last year right? Oh, he didn't even make the ECF (again)?

Yet, it's Tatum's 2022 Finals loss and then 2023 ECF loss that shapes his narrative around why he can't win a regular season award?

It all makes no goddamn sense. If you want to sit here and tell me Tatum isn't the MVP and can't win the MVP this season, that's cool. No problem. There are plenty of worthy candidates. I don't think you're crazy to suggest someone else. I'm just going to need you to bring something to the table other than "he lost the 2022 NBA Finals" where unless you're giving it to Jokic or Giannis, every single other candidate has a worse postseason career. You shouldn't be using postseason results in this discussion anyways, but if you are, I'm having trouble seeing how one of the most accomplished postseason players in NBA history for his age is somehow a negative.