“I think he is underrated”: Joe Mazzulla backs Jayson Tatum backs to become contender for MVP award this season

Boston Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla has heaped praise on small forward Jayson Tatum and believes that he is very underrated.

The 25-year-old has been one of the most consistent performers for the Celtics this season. Despite that, he is not rated among the favourites to become the NBA’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the season.

Mazzulla was recently quoted in a report where he stated that Tatum should definitely be in the conversation a little more and also stated that he is very underrated.

"Yes [Tatum should be in the MVP conversation]," said Mazzulla. "I think defining what 'most valuable' means -- it's not just about scoring -- it's the ability to have sustainable success, to make the people around you better, and the ability to be great.

"He's done it for a long time. I think he's underrated in that conversation and it's something that I think he's doing a great job of reshaping what it means to be the best player -- he does it every night and he does it differently. You really have to watch the games to understand how he has an impact on himself and his teammates. He should be [more in the MVP conversation]."

Tatum is averaging 27.1 points, 8.6 rebounds and 48 assists per game for the Boston Celtics this season.