Ahead of the NBA’s 2023-24 season, many an NBA analyst predicted that star Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum would be among the finalists for the league’s 2024 Most Valuable Player award. But after adding a pair of All-Star caliber players to the team’s roster in Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday while having another All-Star (Jaylen Brown) and a borderline All-Star guard in Derrick White already on the team, Tatum’s path to MVP got a lot less clear.

Now, the St. Louis native is currently in sixth place in ESPN senior reporter Tim Bontemp’s annual straw poll voting for the award. Is Tatum being ignored in the MVP race because of the excellence of his teammates?

Or has his play been below early expectations, justifying the snub?

The hosts of NBC Sports Boston’s “Early Edition” show debated what is going on with Taco Jay’s MVP candidacy this season on a recent episode. Check it out above!

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Story originally appeared on Celtics Wire